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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterJul 27, 2023, 11:42 AM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports.
He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs.
A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI -- The Bengals have reached a contract extension with one of the best players on the roster, as defensive end Trey Hendrickson signed a one-year deal through the 2025 season, the team announced Thursday.
Financial terms were not immediately available.
Hendrickson's original four-year, $60 million deal that he signed with the Bengals before the 2021 season was set to expire at the end of the 2024 season.
The former Florida Atlantic standout has been one of the NFL's most effective pass rushers since he signed with the Bengals during 2021 free agency.
Hendrickson, 28, has 22 sacks and six forced fumbles in his two seasons with the Bengals, both of which resulted in Pro Bowl selections -- the lone Cincinnati defender to earn that distinction. He played through a broken wrist last season to help the Bengals reach the AFC Championship Game for the second straight year.
During his two seasons in Cincinnati, Hendrickson has the NFL's fourth-highest pass rush win rate as an edge rusher, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Over the last two seasons, Hendrickson leads all players in the NFL in incompletions created (68), according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Under the terms of his original contract with the Bengals, Hendrickson represented great savings if the team opted to cut him in 2024 to clear salary cap space. According to Roster Management System, Cincinnati could have saved $15 million against the cap while only incurring $2.5 million in dead money if they parted ways with Hendrickson next year. Thursday's deal could provide Hendrickson with additional security as he remains a key player for the defending AFC North champs.
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