The primary offseason challenge for the Bengals this offseason was to build a defense that could somewhat complement the team's explosive offense. That's hard to do when a team's best pass rushers don't even want to be in Cincinnati.
A quick scroll of NFL Instagram accounts revealed a funny location for pass rusher Trey Hendrickson as training camps get underway. Instead of getting into the grueling practices of summer camp for another season ahead, Hendrickson still seems locked into R&R mode.
Instead of Ohio, it appears Hendrickson is in Florida:
Long-term extension talks between the #Bengals and star Trey Hendrickson broke down over guaranteed money before camp… and Hendrickson has now indicated he left the state.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2025
He just posted this on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/Le2aKris0t
It's not just Hendrickson. Cincinnati's first-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft was intended to help Hendrickson by adding another high-caliber performer off the edge. They wrote Shemar Stewart's name on the draft card and submitted it, excited to land a player with as much pass-rushing potential as any in his rookie class.
Unfortunately, contractual concerns have kept Stewart away from Cincinnati as well. Not only did Stewart sit out some offseason training activities that should have helped him make the leap to the professional level, but he's still not in training camp because he's not yet under contract.
To make matters worse, he's been flirting with the idea of going back to his alma mater, which would put him back in the state of Texas instead of Ohio. We're sensing a pattern here.
The Bengals knew they needed to start to make some major investments on a defense that was already pitiful in 2024. The team fired longtime coordinator Lou Anarumo and replaced him with Al Golden this season, but the cupboards are pretty bare for Golden. The defense also lost defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and linebackers Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither, among others, in free agency.
In the end, the Bengals will likely find a way to have both Stewart and Hendrickson on the field when it counts. Money talks, and the Bengals should eventually pay for both. But if Hendrickson misses time, the loss of preparation can become a significant hurdle for a player's effectiveness in the regular season.
Missing time is even more impactful for Stewart, who needs every rep he can get in camp. With only 4.5 sacks in his entire collegiate career, Stewart is almost all projection, and the Bengals were keen to help him translate that at the next level.
The Bengals have been a key contender in the AFC for the Kansas City Chiefs over the last several years, which means Chiefs Kingdom tends to watch them (along with the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens) rather closely.
Seeing them stumble into training camp with a needy defense isn't going to make anyone too concerned about their chances with such a one-sided roster. They might score a lot of points, but they'll need to in games that are likely going to turn into shootouts.