Many people are focused on the fact that the Green Bay Packers need a top-flight wide receiver and are reportedly trying to acquire Seattle Seahawks wideout DK Metcalf. But they also need pass-rushing help up front in order to go from a playoff team to a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
In 2024, Rashan Gary led them with 7.5 sacks, and he was their only player who had more than 5.0 sacks.
There just happens to be an outstanding pass rusher on the market now in Trey Hendrickson, the four-time Pro Bowler who just asked the Cincinnati Bengals to trade him. NFL.com writer Nick Shook listed the Packers as one potential landing spot for Hendrickson.
“Preston Smith requested a trade and was granted his freedom from Jeff Hafley’s defense during the 2024 season, and while he recorded 7.5 sacks, Rashan Gary seemed to have a bit of an issue finding a fit in the scheme, too,” Shook wrote. “He could use a running mate in Hendrickson, who would take away some of the attention paid to him by opposing defenses and raise the overall ceiling of this unit in 2025. Green Bay can afford Hendrickson, too, and while many folks are focused on its situation at receiver right now, acquiring Hendrickson would also make a ton of sense — and perhaps a bigger splash in the end.”
Hendrickson isn’t just any old pass rusher — he’s one of the NFL’s truly elite players in that category. He led the league with 17.5 sacks while also recording 36 quarterback hits, 19 tackles for loss and six passes defended in 2024, and in addition to earning his fourth straight Pro Bowl nod, he was also named to the All-Pro First Team. The 30-year-old also finished second in the balloting for the Defensive Player of the Year award, which went to Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
His Bengals missed the playoffs the last two seasons, and with wideout Tee Higgins possibly on his way out of Cincinnati, he may welcome a trade to Green Bay, a team that seems to be one or two players away from becoming elite again.
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