Dan Pitcher isn’t treating Trey Hendrickson’s return to Baltimore like a mystery.
With the Bengals on bye in Week 7 before their trip to face the Ravens, Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator said he fully expects to see the former Bengal edge rusher on the other sideline. Hendrickson has missed the past two games with a broken finger, but he was a full participant today, and Pitcher made it clear that’s how the Bengals are preparing.
“That’s certainly the assumption I’m operating under. I would be disappointed if we got anything less from Trey. I’m sure we won’t,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
That sets up a familiar kind of problem for Cincinnati: how do you handle a pass rusher who knows the offense and knows the personnel? The obvious answer, at least on paper, is to lean on the run and go straight at him the way teams have done against him before.
But there’s also the question of whether Orlando Brown Jr. can deal with him one-on-one. Brown has had his struggles this season, and there’s already a history there dating back to when Brown played for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Elsewhere in Bengals news, new addition Jack Kiser has a pretty unusual path to Paycor Stadium. He was claimed off waivers while he was in another country, and while he’s not being brought in to start or take on a huge role, he should become a familiar name on special teams once he gets going after the bye week.
There’s also reason to think Cincinnati’s offense is in a better place up front. The offensive line is finally at an acceptable level. Outside of the Houston Texans game, where Will Anderson Jr. ran Brown off the field, the unit has been much improved from the ugly stretches Joe Burrow dealt with early in his Bengals run.
And Amarius Mims had a moment of his own after the win over the Dolphins, when the Bengals right tackle called out major shoe brands over a recurring issue. If he keeps playing like this, he could be in line for a shoe deal - and saying it out loud in a press conference is one way to get the attention of the people who can make that happen.
Across the league, Joe Burrow’s stock still looks higher than where the latest quarterback rankings have him placed. In the Week 6 QB rankings, Josh Allen moved back to No. 1 and Jordan Love made the biggest jump, but Burrow ending up near a third-tier label feels off when the numbers show how efficient he’s been.
He leads the league in completion percentage, and this isn’t some dink-and-dunk operation. A couple of late turnovers have carried too much weight.
There’s also a reunion angle worth watching in Houston, where Marvin Harrison Jr. is set to line up with C.J. Stroud again as the Texans make their debut.
It’s the kind of matchup plenty of NFL fans will be tracking, especially with Harrison having struggled with the Cardinals. Whether Arizona or Houston made the right call won’t be settled in one afternoon, but with the Texans sitting at 1-4, they can’t afford to wait around for the answer.
And in the NFC North, the Bears may need Williams back sooner rather than later. Chicago is 3-2, the Vikings are 5-0, and the rest of the division is also sitting at 3-2, which leaves little room for a team to slip behind when even a wild card race looks likely to stay tight.
In Other News...
Bengals Kept The AFC North Race Alive With A Bigger Test Looming
Baltimores overtime win over Atlanta tightened the AFC North picture, and Cincinnati did its part to keep the division race from slipping away by knocking off Miami and ending a two-game skid. Clevelands loss to the Jets knocked the Browns off a three-game run, while Pittsburgh stayed in the mix with a win over Indianapolis and a strong showing from Jaylen Warren, leaving the division crowded again after Week 5.
For the Bengals, the timing matters almost as much as the result. A win like this buys some breathing room and resets the tone after a rough stretch, but the schedule does not offer much time to enjoy it with a bigger test ahead once the bye passes. With Baltimore now in front, Cincinnatis next stretch figures to tell a lot about whether this victory was just a needed pause in the slide or the start of something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Browning May Have Another Unexpected Shot At Starting
Jake Brownings latest move has landed him in a familiar sort of limbo. The former Bengals backup quarterback signed with the Chargers and sits third on Los Angeles quarterback depth chart behind Justin Herbert and DJ Uiagalelei, a spot that does not exactly scream immediate opportunity but does keep him one snap or one roster wrinkle away from relevance.
For Cincinnati fans, Brownings path is worth watching because the door in Los Angeles only opens if the situation above him changes. There has been speculation that the Chargers could consider trading Herbert, though the team has not confirmed any such plan, and any shift there would immediately alter Brownings standing. For now, it is another reminder that a quarterbacks next chance can arrive in the least expected way. [Read more 🡒]
Former Bengals Keep Exposing A Defensive Problem Cincinnati Still Has
The Bengals defensive issues have been a recurring theme, and a few familiar names are helping keep that conversation alive. Akeem Davis-Gaither, now with the Colts, has been one of the former Cincinnati defenders drawing attention for the way he is tackling and staying involved, while the broader picture still points back to the same concern the Bengals have been trying to solve. The piece also tracks where Trey Hendrickson stands as he works back from injury ahead of a matchup with the Ravens, another reminder of how much Cincinnatis edge presence still matters.
Joseph Ossais situation adds another layer to the story, especially with his status up in the air after leaving the Jets Week 5 win. For the Bengals, the thread connecting all of it is hard to ignore: former players are still being used as a measuring stick for a defense that has not fully steadied itself, and the current group is left trying to show it can be more reliable than the version fans keep seeing on film and in the rankings. [Read more 🡒]