“You have no idea how to build a football team” - 3x Super Bowl winner calls out Bengals ahead of Trey Hendrickson’s potential departure
The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a season in which they missed the postseason, and one of the major reasons was the lack of defensive output. With the news that All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, last season's sack leader, has been granted permission to seek a trade, people are questioning the Bengals' front office.
On "Breakfast Ball" on Friday, three-time Super Bowl winner Mark Schlereth criticized how the Bengals are operating this offseason.
"You have no idea what you're doing in Cincinnati. You have no idea how to build a football team. By the way, Sam Hubbard, 29, the other defensive end, just retired yesterday. He decided to retire. So you're talking about two really good players, right? And you're going to let both of them go on a defense that really struggled. Trey Hendrickson may be the toughest guy in the National Football League."
He added:
"He does not wear gloves on his hands … So ultimately, you don't know how to build a team. The team that loads up on wide receivers doesn't win world championships; the team that loads up offensive linemen and defensive linemen that can play win world championships. What are you guys doing?"
Below is the full clip from the show:
Trey Hendrickson finished the season with 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six pass deflections and 10 run stuffs en route to his first All-Pro season.
Cincinnati Bengals' offseason in light of Trey Hendrickson trade request
The Cincinnati Bengals are going to be in a position where they need to address a few positions. However, it seems that the Bengals are not interested in paying the increasing defensive end price tag that is seemingly going to happen. Trey Hendrickson is on a walk year with an $18.67 million cap hit, so the team could get something before his contract expires.
The Bengals also have to pay wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, and it appears that the front office does not want to pay a defender that much money. However, with quarterback Joe Burrow's contract as well, they are going to be paying a lot of money to the top of their roster and do not want to add Hendrickson to that list.