Trey Hendrickson reporting for Bengals training camp brings both optimism and the evolution of a tricky situation

Hendrickson and Cincinnati have been a contract dispute since the beginning of March when the four-time Pro Bowler was given permission to seek a trade. The Bengals have held on to Hendrickson since and have delivered offers, but none of them have sufficed what Hendrickson is hoping to obtain.

After skipping the entirety of the offseason program (sans a media session during OTAs), Hendrickson then began holding out of camp last week. He and his family went down to their home state of Florida while the rest of the team began preparing together for the start of the season.

Holding out has cost Hendrickson, literally. Five practices missed amounted to $250,000 worth of fines that can't be rescinded by the club. Hendrickson is set to earn $16 million in cash this year if a new deal doesn't get done.

By reporting to camp, Hendrickson and his representation are hoping a deal will get done. There's literally no other reason why he'd be coming back, but a consequence also looms for the decision-makers in Paycor Stadium.

Trey Hendrickson reporting to camp is a chess move against the Bengals

Hendrickson being away has been a storyline for the media to argue over, but inside the locker room and outside on the practice fields, having a potential distraction being out of sight and out of mind has been a positive for the coaches and players.

It's one thing when Ja'Marr Chase watched the entirety of training camp last year on the sidelines while wearing a hat. When someone is away entirely, it doesn't feel the same. Like a problem that doesn't impact the task at hand because it physically is not present.

Now that Hendrickson is coming back, presumably to watch practice and not participate, it jeopardizes the status quo.

The longer Hendrickson holds in, which is what Chase did last year and what Terry McLaurin started doing this week, the more likely his presence becomes a distraction for the rest of the team. His return will likely be celebrated, but if one day turns into two and then five and then 20 without any progress, it's a recipe for contentiousness.

Reporting is a move made in good faith to reach a deal, but Hendrickson also knows this is pressure he's putting on the team. He can inject controversy into what's been a positive start to camp, and the only way of ending it is with an extension.

He's also saving hundreds of thousands of dollars too, which is typically good!

There's reason to believe that Hendrickson wouldn't make the trip back to Cincy if he felt a deal was unlikely to be reached in the near future. Whether that means within the next week or the next month is to be determined, but this is the next step he's taking to ensure of its completion.