Bear Digest

Wild trade scenario sends Trey Hendrickson to Chicago Bears in 2025 NFL draft pick swap

The Chicago Bears are one of the teams connected to Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, and in this trade projection, the Bears land the 2024 NFL sack leader.
Bryan Perez|
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Cincinnati Bengals granted superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade Thursday, sparking speculation throughout the league about where he'll land for the 2025 NFL season.

The Chicago Bears are an obvious contender. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was part of the New Orleans Saints coaching staff that drafted Hendrickson, and he helped develop the former third-round pick into a 13.5-sack season and a big-time free-agent contract.

The Bears desperately need a pass rusher, too. Montez Sweat led the team in sacks with just 5.5 in 2024, while Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5.

Naturally, the Bears were listed among five sensible options in a recent breakdown of the top trade packages for Trey Hendrickson.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) celebrates a stop against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Sam Greene/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

In this hypothetical trade, the Chicago Bears send the Bengals their first-round pick (No. 10 overall) and their third-round pick for Hendrickson, Cincinnati's first-round pick (No. 17 overall) and a fourth-round selection.

"Sweat managed only 5.5 sacks last year, though," Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski wrote. "He didn't have a running mate on the opposite side who could muster more than 3.5. Hendrickson immediately makes the Bears better and takes them one step closer to being competitive in the NFC North."

It's safe to assume Bears fans would be all-in for a trade like this, considering this year's crop of NFL draft prospects in the range of the 10th and 17th picks aren't all that different. There's a good chance that the top offensive linemen (Will Campell, LSU, and Armand Membou, Missouri) will both be off the board by the 10th pick; trading back is a very real possibility for the Bears anyway.

If they could land Trey Hendrickson and have a mid-first-rounder just by giving up the 10th pick? Yeah, that's a no-brainer. The Chicago Bears could end the first round with Hendrickson and a top edge rusher at No. 17 overall.

Pass-rush problem... fixed.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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