Cincinnati Bengals Injury and Practice Report: Key Starter Remarkably Back to Work

Two days after laying face down on the turf with a knee injury, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson was suited up for practice Tuesday night inside Paycor Stadium.

It’s a remarkable recovery and a good sign for his chances of playing Thursday night at Baltimore, but it in no way signifies that definitely will be the case. Practice is just one of many tests that will determine whether Hendrickson can go.

He was doing position drills with all of the other defensive linemen, some at fast speed and some more of a walkthrough mode.

Cincinnati Bengals Injury Report

Hendrickson leads the team in sacks and is tied for seventh in the league with 8.5. He’s second in the league in pressure percentage (12.6) and fourth in total pressures (50).

Hendrickson was injured after the final play from scrimmage in Sunday’s 30-27 loss to the Texans. Houston wide receiver Noah Brown was backing through a group of players talking to someone in front of him when he tripped and stumbled backward for several yards before falling into the side of Hendrickson’s right leg.

An MRI revealed Hendrickson suffered a hyperextension of his knee and not anything worse.

Trey Hendrickson going through pass rush drills with the rest of the D-line.

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) November 14, 2023

Hendrickson has played in 40 of a possible 42 games since joining the Bengals in free agency in 2021. The first game he missed was the 2021 season finale at Cleveland, along with the rest of the starters, when the Bengals already had their playoff seed locked in place.

The only game Hendrickson has missed due to injury was last year’s Week 15 contest at Tampa Bay after he had broken his wrist the previous week vs. Cleveland. He returned the following week even though it was obvious he was still in a lot of pain all the way through the playoff run.

Hendrickson also spent several weeks on the injury report in 2021 with shoulder and back issues. Neck and back injuries also landed him on the injury report several times last year.

The Bengals listed Hendrickson as limited, but Sam Hubbard, his bookend on the defensive line, did not practice for the second day in a row (Monday’s report was an estimation as the team did not actually practice) with an ankle injury that forced him to miss the Houston game.

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Wide receiver Tee Higgins also missed his third consecutive practice after suffering a hamstring injury Thursday in the lead up to the Houston game, in which he did not play. Rookie wide receiver Andrei Iosivas also was a non-participant for the second day in a row.

Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (knee) and defensive tackle Josh Tupou (shoulder) were upgraded to full participants, and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee) was limited for the second day in a row.

The game status report will be out tomorrow afternoon, at which time the Bengals also could activate rookie wide receiver/punt returner Charlie Jones from injured reserve.

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