Despite recent reports of positive movement in the Trey Hendrickson negotiations, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report says that the Green Bay Packers will acquire the NFL sack king in a trade deadline move.
The Packers have been linked for quite some time with Hendrickson. That scuttlebutt has intensified recently. Especially after Green Bay released Jaire Alexander. Gagnon is the latest to do so.
The hope in Cincinnati is that the Bengals and Hendrickson can reach a contract extension that both sides can live with. If not, and it becomes crystal clear that the star pass rusher intends on sticking to his word of not playing under his current deal, it would behoove the Bengals to move Hendrickson as soon as possible.
Last year’s trade deadline was Tuesday, November 5th. Cincinnati should not wait that long to trade Hendrickson if he sits out, and that right there, is the catch.
The idea Cincinnati would wait until the trade deadline to deal Hendrickson makes this ... interesting?
While listing the Packers as the most likely landing spot of a trio of teams that include the Commanders and Lions, what Gagnon leaves out is compensation.
What must Cincinnati get in return?
If Cincinnati were to enter into trade talks with Green Bay, Bengals fans should want a player-for-player exchange. And that player should be Zach Tom.
The Packers would not want to give up Tom, but the Bengals should not consider the proposition without him as a part of the deal. And Bengals fans might not like it, but the front office might need to give up more than just Hendrickson to make it happen. And they should.
Tom is everything that the Bengals usually crave from their young offensive linemen. The most important of which is versatility. He can play all five positions along the offensive line and be great at them all. He would come in and be an immediate upgrade, no matter where the team wanted to play him.
Tom is already one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. They ranked him fourth out of 140 tackles last season. Tom graded 12th in pass blocking and third in run blocking according to their metrics.
Although some may have forgotten due to recent events, the organization's most significant concern remains keeping Joe Burrow, also known as the franchise, upright and healthy.
We have maintained, correctly so, for years that the Bengals should have drafted Tom in the 2022 NFL Draft.
In that draft, Cincinnati inexplicably passed on Tom in the fourth round to select Cordell Volson. They could add Volson as a part of the package to bring the lineman to the Queen City.
Now that Tom is entering the final year of his rookie deal, the Packers can get something they want in an elite pass rusher, and the Bengals can acquire something they need in an elite offensive lineman.
Gagnon’s idea is an excellent one, but only if the Bengals get Tom in return. And only if it happens well before the trade deadline.
That is, of course, only if the Bengals and Hendrickson can't reach an agreement.
