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Lost in the commotion of Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow suffering a calf strain and being carted off the field on Thursday, July 27, 2023, was the news that the team signed their best defensive player to an extension. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end will be staying put through the 2025 season and getting a pay raise in the process.
The six-year veteran had two years and no guaranteed money left on his four-year contract worth $60 million that he signed in 2021 per spotrac.com. According to a report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, he is getting $21 million in new money that includes a signing bonus of $8 million and a raise of $5 million for the 2023 season which “brings his (compensation) in line with other top edge rushers.”
Hendrickson has racked up 22 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 51 quarterback hits, and 18 tackles for loss in his first two seasons with the Bengals according to Pro Football Reference, and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
Pass Rush Will Need to Step Up to Make Up For Inexperienced Secondary
The Bengals’ front seven and especially Hendrickson and his fellow edge defenders are likely going to have to carry the load for the defense to start the year and perhaps for the majority of the season given the lack of experience in the backend.
They let three-fifths of their starting secondary walk in free agency including their stud safety tandem of the past three years to a pair of NFC South teams. Strong safety Vonn Bell signed a three-year deal worth $22.5 million with the Carolina Panthers and free safety Jessie Bates inked a sizable four-year deal worth $64.02 million with the Atlanta Falcons. Veteran cornerback Eli Apple who made 15 starts last season and 30 in the past two seasons remains unsigned as a free agent.
Replacing them is a mixture of young players and unheralded veterans that don’t have much experience in the league or working together. Former Los Angeles Rams safety Nick Scott and third-round rookie Jordan Battle will compete for Bell’s spot while 2022 first-rounder Dax Hill will take over for Bates.
At cornerback, they are returning veteran nickel Mike Hilton, veteran Chidobe Awuzie, 2022 second-rounder Cam Taylor-Britt, and added second-round rookie DJ Turner.
With so much turnover at key spots in the defensive backfield, it will be up to the defensive front to lead the charge on that side of the ball. Since pass rush and coverage often have a harmonious relationship, the faster they can get to or at least pressure opposing quarterbacks, the less time their new-look secondary will have to cover and potentially blow an assignment.
Joe Burrow to Miss ‘Several Weeks’ With Injury
The Bengals are going to be without the former No. 1 overall pick for “several weeks” according to head coach Zac Taylor who provided an update on the health status of his franchise quarterback on Friday, July 28, 2023.
This update all but guarantees that Burrow will not take a single snap in the preseason even if he does recover quickly as a precautionary measure. With the 2021 Comeback Player of the Year out of commission for the time being, the Bengals have just two healthy quarterbacks available for practice.
Taylor told reporters that the team has plans to add a quarterback soon to provide them with another arm for training camp but until then, reserves Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian “will rotate by day” with the first-team offense.
Taylor declined to comment on whether the team believes that this injury could threaten Burrow’s availability for the start of the 2023 regular season.
If he does, that could potentially put the Bengals in an early hole in their quest to repeat as division champions considering they play instate rival Cleveland Browns on the road to open the season and host top challenger Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. Not having their best player for that tough two-week stretch would make getting off to a strong start even more difficult.
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