Patriots Tabbed to Get NFL Sack King For ‘Violent’ 6-Foot-5, 285 lb Pass Rusher
The NFL has a full slate of of preseason games this weekend, but on Sunday morning the entire news cycle was hijacked by a couple of tweets from insiders reporting for the NFL Network. Both Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero took to their online accounts to report that the Cincinnati Bengals were “listening to trade offers for four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson.”
As expected, the reports raised hopes for teams around the NFL that they could put together a package to land the 2024 first-team All-Pro who reigned over all pass rushers last season with 17.5 sacks. In fact, in his 65 games over four seasons in Cincinnati, Hendrickson recorded 57 sacks.
The Patriots were no exception, and are a prime candidate to enter the Hendrickson sweepstakes.
Hendrickson Would be Major Upgrade at Weak Position
Compare Hendrickson’s sack numbers to the entire Patriots pass rushing unit. New England ranked dead last out of the 32 NFL teams in 2024 with just 28 sacks. They weren’t a lot better in 2023, tallying 36 sacks, 27th in the league.
Under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have revamped their entire defense, which of course they hope will result in better pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They signed former Vrabel protege Harold Landry as a free agent after six seasons with the Tennessee Titans in which he compiled 50 1/2 sacks in 98 games.
They also landed LSU edge rusher Bradyn Swinson in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, the first defensive player selected by the Patriots. In his senior year for the Tigers, Swinson sacked opposing quarterbacks 8 1/2 times in 13 games.
Team-Leading Pass Rusher in Proposed Trade Package
Clearly, though the Patriots can expect their pass rush to take a step forward this season, they can use much more. But who would they give up to get Hendrickson?
“This will be expensive, likely with a young player and a future pick if possible,” Rapoport wrote. “A challenge for sure — especially because the Bengals are a playoff-ready team.”
The host of the Savage Boston Sports podcast offered a proposal on Sunday, shortly after the news broke that the Bengals had reportedly put their star edge rusher on the trade block.
The young player suggested by Savage, however, was the Patriots’ co-leader in sacks last season. Keion White, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound second-round pick in 2023 who describes his playing style as “leading with violence,” recorded five.
Together with Deatrich Wise Jr. who also had five — and who has since moved on to the Washington Commanders — the pair were responsible for 35 percent of New England’s sacks.
3rd-Round Pick or 2nd-Rounder?
Savage also suggested including veteran safety Kyle Dugger, who now seems to be on the “bubble” of even making the Patriots’ 53-man roster anyway; linebacker Anfernee Jennings, a 2020 third-round pick; and a 2026 third round selection.
According to Sara Marshall, Patriots correspondent for Fansided Musket Fire, New England would likely need to part with a second-round pick to have a shot at landing Hendrickson.
“The Patriots could realistically offer one of the better deals across the league, as they could throw in a high second-rounder,” Marshall wrote on Sunday. “Because they are still projected to land in the top-15 picks of next year’s draft, it’s unlikely they’d be willing to part with a pick of that value for an older player. But a high second-round selection doesn’t seem out of the question and might be the Bengals’ best offer.”
Hendrickson will turn 31 on December 5. The average age of NFL defensive linemen in 2024 was 27 years old.
Only 21 percent, or about one of every five, was over 30 — meaning that Hendrickson, entering his ninth NFL season, is probably nearing the end of his career.
