After making multiple offensive line trades on Wednesday, the Chicago Bears will start to turn their heads towards the other side of the trenches; the defensive line; this free agency period.
And they may need not look any further than current Cincinnati Bengal, Trey Hendrickson, who has just been granted permission to seek a trade by the organization.
The Bengals have taken the rare step of granting All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade. âItâs been an honor and privilege to represent Cincinnati over the last four years,â said Hendrickson, the NFLâs sack leader. âI love this city and organization. I appreciate⦠pic.twitter.com/7P7Hbe2Y9e
â Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2025
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Despite Hendrickson having turned 30 in December, he will certainly be viewed a valuable commodity for teams around the league. Hendrickson leads the league with 35 sacks over the past two seasons, and has 57 in his four years in Cincinnati; third in the league behind only TJ Watt and Myles Garrett over that period.
The proficient sack artist who has one year left at his deal – priced at a very reasonable cap hit of $18.7 million – will likely attract the attention of numerous teams around the league for draft compensation in an around the second round pick mark.
Bears Have A Key Link To Trey Hendrickson From Years Past
Including, it would seem, the Chicago Bears, who have a unique connection to the former third round draft pick.
Multiple writers and insiders who cover the Bears have stressed the connection of new defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, as potentially being a key assett in luring the 4 x Pro Bowler to Chicago.
Trey Hendrickson played for #Bears DC Dennis Allen for four seasons in New Orleans⦠https://t.co/F4ozZ8tFbk
â Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) March 6, 2025
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Bears DC Dennis Allen was the Saintsâ DC when they drafted Hendrickson in 2017, in case anyone was curious. https://t.co/aYrofg2j6B
â Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) March 6, 2025
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Before becoming the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears this past January, Dennis Allen spent seven years as the DC of the New Orleans Saints before being promoted to head coach in 2022 in the wake of Sean Payton’s resignation.
Hendrickson left the Saints in 2021, so Allen was his defensive coordinator for each of his four seasons in NOLA – and was instrumental in his development from a backup/rotational rusher to an eventual top-five player at his position.
Although Hendrickson probably did his best work in Cincy, rather than New Orleans, it is unlikely that the All-Pro has forgotten his roots and the coach who helped him get to where he is today.
Should The Bears Prioritize Trading For An Edge Rusher?
The Bears are by no means “one player away”, but the team has been steadily improving over the past few years, despite some hit-and-miss free agency pickups in recent times.
Chicago also still needs to upgrade the left tackle position, despite incumbent starter Braxton Jones outplaying his fifth rounder draft status; but the franchise is widely viewed to be targeting that position with the #10 overall pick in this year’s draft in April – so it is unlikely the trade/FA focus will be there.
Although the Bears could – and potentially may – target a defensive end to partner with Pro Bowler, Montez Sweat, in rounds two and three, the probability on finding an elite-quality starter on top value positions like edge rusher, tackle and quarterback are historically fairly remote after the first 20 draft picks.
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