Two defensive starters from the 2024 season who were also noticeably absent were linebacker Germaine Pratt and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, but neither absence should be surprisi

Head coach Zac Taylor said last week that the franchise's decision to draft defensive end Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 pick of the 2025 NFL draft had nothing to do with Hendrickson, and that he doesn't "think you can ever have enough defensive linemen, especially in this league and this division."

Cincinnati could release Germaine Pratt ($5.3 million base pay) and Cordell Volson ($3.7 million base pay) to free up $9 million for Hendrickson. That would raise his season base salary to $24.8 million for 2025 if the Bengals wanted to give him that entire pool as a salary raise.