The San Francisco 49ers suffered a significant blow on September 22 when Nick Bosa tore his ACL, ruling him out for the season. The news immediately sparked trade speculation as the team sought ways to replace its star pass rusher.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is at the center of that speculation. Hendrickson, an All-Pro last season, led the NFL with 17.5 sacks.
Adding to the intrigue, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to miss about three months. With Burrow sidelined, Cincinnati’s ability to navigate this stretch is uncertain—potentially making Hendrickson available if the 49ers are willing to pay the price.
Nonetheless, if San Francisco hopes to fill Bosa’s shoes this season, The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami believes Hendrickson’s track record indicates the veteran could match the production the 49ers star provides.
“Hendrickson doesn’t just help their depth,” Kawakami said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game. “He lifts up everything. He’s your closest Bosa replacement. He might be better than Bosa right now. He has 17.5 sacks over the last two years. No one else has done that.”
Could the 49ers Seriously Target Trey Hendrickson?
Cincinnati are 2-1, and backup quarterback Jake Browning had a disastrous showing in the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Moreover, Browning leads the league in interceptions with five despite only playing two games. As a result, unless his play drastically improves or the Bengals make a trade for a quarterback, Hendrickson could be a serious target for San Francisco, as Cincinnati might be dropping out of the playoff picture.
“There [are] other names out there,” Kawakami added. “Arden Key and all these other names. Kayvon Thibodeaux. I just think Trey Hendrickson, for a lot of reasons, fits kind of the now and possibly down the road. I’d give up a second-round pick for him. Conditionally, they could change to a first. Maybe that’s a little high. They probably don’t want to give up a first. They do have to keep their draft picks, most of them, because they got guys they need to replace down the road.
“But if you know the 49ers, they’ve always liked Hendrickson. That’s a guy they like. They would have liked him two years ago, three years ago. Cincinnati was not trading him back then. I think Cincinnati would be very motivated to move him at some point this season because I think there he’s not gonna he’s not going to be on their team next season.
“It’s just going to be a matter of when they are going to start talking about a second-round pick, when that’s going to be on the table. It might not be something the 49ers want to do right now. I would do it right now, but I’m a different mindset than they are.”
Does Pursuing Trey Hendrickson Make Sense
Although Kawakami says that the 49ers have a long-standing interest in the veteran pass rusher, Matt Barrows of The Athletic doesn’t expect San Francisco to trade for Hendrickson, given the path the front office has chosen in shaping the team for the 2025 season.
“Trey Hendrickson is an older, expensive player who turns 31 in December,” Barrows said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game. “[Trading for him] would run counter to everything the 49ers mapped out [for the season] back in January and February…but situations change.”
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