Trey Hendrickson rumor gives him even more ammo against Bengals in 2026

This past offseason, the Baltimore Ravens snuck in and nabbed one of their division rival's biggest stars. Trey Hendrickson departed from the Cincinnati Bengals, joining the Ravens on a four-year, $112 million contract.

After a very successful tenure in Cincinnati, his time as a Bengal became fractured. He requested a trade in 2024 and had a contract hold-in in 2025. Now, it sounds like there's some rumblings about if he held back former teammate Shemar Stewart.

In an interview on Sports with Strawberry Ice, Bengals writer Mike Petraglia suggested Hendrickson left Stewart with a negative view of playing in Cincinnati last season.

This revelation adds another tumultuous layer to Hendrickson’s complicated Bengals breakup. It could add some extra spice to the Ravens/Bengals matchups this year—when Cincinnati comes to town in Week 7 and when Baltimore hits the road in Week 17.

Baltimore Ravens/Cincinnati Bengals battles might mean even more for Trey Hendrickson now

Trey Hendrickson already has plenty of reason to circle those Bengals matchups with a red Sharpie. Whether a player’s relationship with their former team is strained or not, there’s always something about sticking it to them when you’re on the opposite sideline.

Throw in some apparent animosity from the Cincinnati side of things, and it shouldn’t be difficult for Hendrickson to get hyped on another level once Bengals week rolls around. It’s already a divisional showdown against his former team, and the noise out in Ohio will only add to the anticipation.

Let’s be honest, too: would Hendrickson be in the wrong if he admitted playing on the Cincinnati defense was a struggle? It was. That’s a fact.

Their defense ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in points allowed over the past three years, and in 2025, they ranked 30th.

Hendrickson was one of the only ones making plays, too. He had 39 sacks during those three years. For a defense that was as bad as the Bengals’, that’s not the right player to blame.

I get it, he’s not a great run defender. Cool. However, when you’re firing off the edge and bringing down quarterbacks at an elite level, that should be the least of your worries.

In Baltimore, Hendrickson is becoming everything his new team could want. He has a 26% pass-rush win rate two weeks into the year (12th among edge defenders), and is seeing a 43.3% double-team rate (8th). He’s quickly making an impact.

That impact will hopefully be felt in Week 7 and Week 17, and maybe even a different breed of Hendrickson emerges against the Bengals. The Ravens will need it against Joe Burrow and company.

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