Eric DeCosta: When the lights have come on, Trey Hendrickson has brought it

Published September 3, 2026 10:33 AM Back in March, it seemed like the Ravens quickly pivoted to signing Trey Hendrickson once they backed out of the trade for Maxx Crosby due to long-term concerns about his knee. But General Manager Eric DeCosta said at the time that the team was actually trying to acquire both players — though that didn’t work out. Now with the season set to begin, DeCosta has been impressed with what Hendrickson has brought to the team through the offseason and training camp. “Well, when the lights have come on, [Hendrickson] has brought it,” DeCosta said Wednesday, via transcript from the team. “We saw him against the Vikings in practice, we saw him against the Commanders in practice. [Those are] competitive atmospheres, and this guy has really brought it. That is exciting. That tells me that, when we line up in a few weeks, he is going to bring it.“He knows how to play. He has a great attitude. [He’s a] pro all the way. [He’s] competitive, great with the younger guys. He is going to be a closer for us, I believe, because I have seen him do it. I saw him do it in Minnesota. I saw him do it here that day. He loves competition. [He] knows his body, knows how to take care of himself. [He’s] very methodical in his approach. I love his routine. He is a worker. He is a very humble guy as well. So, I am excited about him. He is everything that we envisioned when we brought him in, and I feel like he is going to be a guy to really help us win games in the fourth quarter.”Hendrickson recorded 17.5 sacks for the Bengals in 2023 and 2024, leading the league in the category in the latter season. But after an offseason contract dispute, injuries limited Hendrickson to just seven games last year, as he finished with 4.0 sacks for Cincinnati.