The Ravens didn’t wait long to put Trey Hendrickson to work, and by the time the regular season opener arrives in a little more than two weeks, Baltimore expects him to be right in the middle of everything.
Hendrickson, the biggest free-agent investment in franchise history and the team’s marquee offseason addition, has already settled into a defense that, by all accounts from camp, has been moving faster than the offense under new head coach Jesse Minter. That’s a good sign for a unit that needed a jolt after losing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike two games into last season.
For Hendrickson, the adjustment has come with little drama. He was around for the entire offseason program, has not missed a practice during camp and has looked disruptive enough to flash the same kind of impact that made him a First Team All Pro.
“It is our job to be comfortable in the defense, to know what you are supposed to do and execute it at a high level,” Hendrickson said. “It is a men's league, so that is a part of the job description.
It has been fun to learn a new defense. It has been fun to get after it in a new environment, and I am excited.”
That kind of presence has already been felt inside the building. Mark Andrews pointed to Hendrickson’s all-around edge as a major reason the Ravens are so encouraged by what they’ve seen.
“There's a reason why he is who he is,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “Just his ability to turn it up and make plays, rush the passer, and do all the little things. He's an incredible player, great guy in the locker room.”
The numbers explain the buzz, too. Even in an injury-shortened final season with the Cincinnati Bengals, Hendrickson still posted four sacks in just seven games.
That total would have ranked third on the Ravens last year. One season earlier, he piled up 17.5 sacks in back-to-back years.
Still, Hendrickson isn’t measuring himself against any old version of himself.
“I do not compare myself to anything but me, not even [to] previous years,” Hendrickson said. “I want to be the best version of myself year-in and year-out, and I feel that I have done a great job with the strength staff here, with [director of strength and conditioning] Scott [Elliott], everybody who has been in the training room with 'A.D' [head certified athletic trainer Adrian Dixon], all the way to my position coach putting me in the right positions to make plays.
So, it has been a great process. It has been fun to overcome adversity.”
Even without a snap in a Ravens uniform in live action, the 31-year-old has quickly become one of the team’s tone-setters. The way he works, the way he talks and the way he approaches every rep has already made him a leader.
“My approach to it is being an example of what we want to be as a defense,” Hendrickson said. “Playing hard, playing physical and doing your job at a high level, and if we are all doing that collectively, we are going to go where we want to go.
We have plenty of tools on offense. We are going to be more than excited to get the ball back for them.
But taking care of our '1 of 11,' me personally, it is leading by example, doing the hard work on and off the field so that we can be productive.”
He hasn’t played in a preseason game, but Hendrickson hasn’t exactly been easing in. Three sessions of joint practices, plus daily battles with the Ravens’ top left tackles, have given him all the live work he needs before September.
“[It's] great for me [in that] I have Ronnie Stanley to go against, and it is not much of a break when Carson [Vinson] goes,” Hendrickson said. “So, it has been fun as 'iron sharpens iron.'
We are taking care of our business no matter who the opponent is. But, they have done a great job of getting me ready for what a game-like situation would be, and like I said, it is going to sound redundant, but I am excited for the season.”
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