Ravens' Jesse Minter makes feelings on Trey Hendrickson clear after Maxx Crosby saga

Not long after former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter became the Baltimore Ravens' new head coach this past winter, he thought he'd have Las Vegas Raiders star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby as part of the Baltimore defense.

The Ravens ultimately backed out of acquiring Crosby, and Baltimore then signed former Cincinnati Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Minter seemed pleased with what he has thus far seen from Hendrickson in springtime workouts. 

Trey Hendrickson is already becoming a leader for the Ravens

"Just the way he operates," Minter said about Hendrickson, per Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "...He's coming into a new situation, new defense [and] new terminology. Just to watch his process of how he learns, how he needs to know what he needs to know and also know what everybody else is doing. He's an unbelievable leader in the edge room. He's helping really bring those young guys along as well. I think it was a lot of third-down [work] at the end of practice, and that's why he's here -- to help close out those situations for us on defense."

Supposed concerns related to Crosby's surgically repaired knee caused the Ravens to pivot this past March. In the end, Baltimore and Hendrickson agreed to a four-year, $112M contract that included $60M in fully guaranteed money and reportedly could be worth up to $120M.

Similar to Crosby, health concerns are hovering over Hendrickson's status this spring. Hendrickson played in just seven games last season before he needed core surgery in December 2025. However, the 31-year-old recorded the league's most regular-season sacks (35) from the start of the 2023 campaign through Week 18 of the 2024 season.

Why Trey Hendrickson already has Jesse Minter excited

"He's an extremely well-defined technical rusher. So, he uses his hands really, really well," Minter added about Hendrickson. "He can bend really well. He's really good at seeing the snap count and being able to do that. He knows how to attack different tackles based on how they set, things like that. But man, [it's] just how he plays. He brings it every play. I think he's done a great job learning some different techniques that maybe he hasn't done before, and playing the run and doing things like that. So, I am just very excited, and very, very, very pleased with Trey up to this point, and I am excited to have him on our side."

It's far too early to say when outsiders will be able to determine whether or not the Ravens were right to basically choose Hendrickson over Crosby. If Crosby is motivated to prove the Ravens and doubters wrong, Minter could end up regretting how the much-discussed trade saga played out.