Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) attends a preseason training camp practice in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How Jaguars Are Impacted By Trey Hendrickson's Return

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars caught a lucky break when it comes to one of their early-season foes on Monday, with the Houston Texans ruling Joe Mixon out for the Jaguars' Week 3 matchup.

When it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals -- the Jaguars' Week 2 foe -- the Jaguars did not get quite as lucky.

The Bengals now have star defensive end Trey Hendrickson back in the fold after the team reworked the final year of his deal. This means Hendrickson will now be on the field when the Jaguars play the Bengals in Week 2, one of the Jaguars' toughest early-season games.

Hendrickson has had solid performances against the Jaguars in the past, and now he is set to have a chance to do it again in Week 2.

The last time the Jaguars played the Bengals was on Monday Night Football in 2023, with a banged-up Bengals team upsetting a then-AFC South leading Jaguars team. Hendrickson made a noticable impact in the game, taking down Trevor Lawrence on a play that would lead to a Lawrence injury and have the franchise quarterback leave the field.

The Jaguars will only be in their second game under head coach Liam Coen when Week 2 rolls around, which makes this quality of opponent that much tougher to kick off the season. And with Hendrickson now set to be on the field for the otherwise struggling Bengals defense, all eyes are set to be on Coen and his staff.

"Yeah, we still got to continue to get better, there is no doubt. We cannot waste a single moment, second, minute, practice, walk-through, meeting – they cannot be wasted. We need to improve from now until Carolina, there needs to be continued improvement," Coen said after the preseason finale.

"But I am proud of this team and the way they compete. The physicality in which they play with, I think we can – if we can start there and have that as a standard, that continues to show up every time we compete, I'll live with that. We got to obviously execute better in certain situational moments, and have some guys make some plays in some moments, but I am pleased with where we are from that standpoint.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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