This offseason has been a reboot for the Cincinnati Bengals on the defensive side of the ball, adding talent through free agency, trades, and the draft. However, the Bengals did lose a massive name, with edge rusher Trey Hendrickson signing with the Baltimore Ravens.
That signing with a division rival always stings, but it’s not entirely uncommon either. Certainly, it didn’t catch Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow off guard, as he shared a bit of a surprising response to the Hendrickson signing.
“Not very surprising,” Burrow said. “I know Trey, I love Trey, and I just know how he operates.”
Hendrickson has been with the Bengals since 2021, going to four Pro Bowls. During that time, he had 61 sacks and 56 tackles for a loss. However, injuries limited him in 2025. In his place, the Bengals added defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and drafted edge rusher Cashius Howell.
This comes in an offseason where there have been rumors that Burrow is unhappy with the Bengals as a team. In particular, as they come off a third-straight season missing the playoffs. However, he does seem confident in the roster that Cincinnati has put together.
“No matter who we have in the locker room, we’re gonna try to go out and make it work,” Burrow said. “We got guys that work really hard to put themselves in position to perform well, perform to our standard. We haven’t necessarily done that for a couple of years, so we brought some guys in who’ve been there and done that, and have had their own standard of play, and are going to live up to that. So now we just have to come together as a unit and do it as a collective.”
The Cincinnati Bengals Will See Trey Hendrickson and the Baltimore Ravens Twice
GettyTrey Hendrickson playing with the Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens have two games, including one primetime matchup, this season. The first of those matchups is in Week 7 on the road for a 1:00 p.m. EST kickoff. The Bengals are hoping to then avoid letting Hendrickson get to Burrow in what should be one of the most important matchups in the first-half of the season.
Later, on New Year’s Eve, the Bengals play host to a Thursday Night Game. It’s the fifth-straight season that the Bengals will meet the Ravens in primetime. However, there is a twist on the primetime game this season.
In each of the previous four seasons, all four of those primetime games have come in Baltimore. Finally, Cincinnati is going to get to play host.
Outside of the Ravens primetime game, the Bengals do have some quirks on their schedule. That includes not getting a bye week after their Madrid trip, instead going into back-to-back primetime games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Commanders, respectively.
Joe Burrow is Excited for the Bengals Roster
GettyCincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow has kept his eye on what the Bengals managed to pull off this offseason. Even with most of that effort coming on the defensive side of the ball, it seems to have Burrow excited.
“Got better at a lot of positions. Signed the best free agent safety. Got the best d-tackle in the league, in my opinion,” Burrow said. “We have a lot of depth now in the defensive line. That’s exciting, not just for me, but for those guys, so they don’t have to play as many snaps. We can have more of a rotation.”
It’s not a sure thing that the Bengals win in 2026, but it’s pretty clear that the team is putting in the effort to build a winning roster. After those three-straight seasons without a playoff appearance and the Burrow rumors this offseason, it’s an incredibly important year for the team to bounce back and make noise with this new-look defense.
Bengals Joe Burrow Had Surprising Reaction to Trey Hendrickson Going to Ravens