Cincinnati Bengals star defensive end Trey Hendrickson hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 26, when he left Cincinnati’s contest against the New York Jets after re-aggravating a preexisting hip injury and didn’t return.
It doesn’t sound like Hendrickson’s return will come in Week 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers either, as head coach Zac Taylor said that Hendrickson will be doubtful for the divisional matchup. Hendrickson is getting closer to a return, but he’s not there yet.
There was rampant speculation that Hendrickson would be moved prior to the NFL trade deadline last week, but no deal ever came to fruition. The Bengals reportedly didn’t receive any offer better than a fourth-round pick for the four-time Pro Bowler.
But, while Hendrickson’s stay on the sideline will likely continue, the Bengals did get some good news on Monday, as the team announced that star quarterback Joe Burrow was cleared to return to practice in a limited capacity. Burrow has been sidelined since early in the season with a toe injury.
"I think he's ready for this part of the recovery to come back on a limited basis and progress it on the field with the players," Taylor said of Burrow. "Internally, this was always a good timeline for us. He's worked really hard to get to this point … We'll start with this week. He's got the 21-day window that we've activated. The timeline (is) beyond this week."
Taylor thinks that Burrow’s return could give the Bengals a boost heading into the back stretch of the season.
"He's one of the best players in the world, and so anytime that player comes back, and players have seen how hard he's been working behind the scenes with the trainers and strength coaches and all that kind of stuff," Taylor said, "I think it's exciting when you see a guy who's put so much into coming back."
At this point, the returns of Burrow and Hendrickson might be too little, too late for the Bengals, who dug themselves a huge hole in a competitive AFC with a 3-6 start to the season.