Trey Hendrickson Has Been an Opener, Not the 30 Million Dollar Closer the Ravens Paid For
Has Trey Hendrickson been the closer the Ravens paid for? A Sports Illustrated column published on November 5-6, 2026, says no. The column argues that Baltimore anointed Hendrickson as its 30 million dollar a year closer after signing him for 60 million dollars over two years, but he has played like an opener instead. He has 2 sacks this season, as many as linebacker Roquan Smith. His pass rush rate is near 21 percent in the first half of games, but in the fourth quarter he has just 5 pressures on 43 pass rush reps, about 12 percent. This article explains that column and its claims, and it presents the column as opinion and analysis, not as a news report of a new event.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Player | Trey Hendrickson, Baltimore Ravens pass rusher |
| Age | 32 years old |
| Contract | 60 million dollars over two years, 30 million dollars a year |
| Column view | Sports Illustrated calls him an opener, not a closer |
| Sacks this season | 2 sacks, as many as linebacker Roquan Smith |
| First half pass rush rate | Near 21 percent |
| Fourth quarter pressures | 5 pressures on 43 pass rush reps, about 12 percent |
| 2024 honor | First-team All-Pro in 2024 |
| Past two seasons in Cincinnati | 17.5 sacks in each season |
| Ravens record in Week 9 | 4-4 |
| Last result | Lost 36-10 to the Bills on Sunday, November 1 |
| Bills second half | Buffalo averaged 7.5 yards per play in the second half |
| Head coach | Jesse Minter, also the defensive play caller |
| Former team | Cincinnati Bengals |
What the Column Is Saying
The Sports Illustrated column makes its point in the title itself. The Ravens anointed Trey Hendrickson as a 30 million dollar a year closer. The column says the reality has been different. He has turned out to be an opener. A closer in football is the player who finishes games, who makes the big play late when the other team has to pass and the defense has to get off the field. An opener is the player who starts strong and then fades when the game is on the line. The column argues that Hendrickson has been the second kind of player this season.
Hendrickson has 2 sacks this season, the same total as linebacker Roquan Smith, which is not the comparison a team wants for a player signed to be its top pass rusher. Two sacks does not match that job description, and it does not match the price the Ravens paid. This is the view of a column, not a new injury report or a new team announcement.
The First Half and Fourth Quarter Split
The gap between the first half and the fourth quarter is the heart of the column. In the first half of games, his pass rush rate is near 21 percent. That is a strong rate, and it suggests that Hendrickson can still win early, when he is fresh and when the game plan is still taking shape. In the fourth quarter, the picture changes. He has just 5 pressures on 43 pass rush reps in the fourth quarter, about 12 percent. That drop is the core of the opener claim.
The fourth quarter is when pass rush matters most, because trailing teams have to throw and the pass rusher has a chance to end a drive. The column presents this as a pattern across the season, not a one game issue.
Injury, Time Missed, and the Bengals Revenge Game
The column also places Hendrickson season in a wider story, and that story includes injury and disruption. He was hurt in his first game for Baltimore. That is a hard way to start with a new team, especially for a player signed to be a star. A first game injury does not just cost snaps. It costs rhythm, it costs trust in the body, and it costs the chance to build early chemistry with new teammates and a new coaching staff.
After that injury, the column says his production tailed off. He missed time after a surgical procedure, which added another break to a season that had already been broken up. Then came the revenge game against the Bengals, and the column says Hendrickson was invisible in that game.
What Hendrickson Was in Cincinnati
To understand why the column is so direct, it helps to remember what Hendrickson was before Baltimore. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2024, and he had 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons with Cincinnati. That is the player the Ravens believed they were signing.
Two sacks this season is far from 17.5 sacks in a season. His exit from Cincinnati was ugly, with holdouts and hold-ins and a May 2026 statement saying the team had stopped communicating with his camp after the draft. The column suggests that Hendrickson has not yet made his point on the field for Baltimore.
For more on the Ravens season around Hendrickson, read about the Ravens placing Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley on injured reserve as Joe Fagnano starts. The injuries at quarterback have put more pressure on the defense, and that pressure makes the pass rush question even more important for Baltimore.
The Bills Loss and a Season at 4-4
The most recent result in the column is the 36-10 loss to the Bills on Sunday, November 1. Buffalo averaged 7.5 yards per play in the second half, which shows a defense that could not get off the field after halftime. A closer is supposed to stop that kind of run.
The column frames the season as effectively over for Baltimore in Year 1, with the team at 4-4 in Week 9. That is presented as the column view, not as a fact about the standings. New head coach Jesse Minter is also the defensive play caller, so the defense is his direct responsibility.
The Crosby trade that did not happen.
The Ravens signed him after withdrawing from a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby over a failed physical. Baltimore had looked at a major trade for another star pass rusher, and that trade fell apart for medical reasons. Signing Hendrickson for 60 million dollars over two years was the next step.
Sixty million dollars over two years is a two year commitment at 30 million dollars a year, and the column notes that the team is stuck with his contract again next season. That phrase is the column view, and it underlines the cost of the decision.
Readers who want more on the trade talk around Baltimore can also read about the Jacoby Brissett trade talk involving the Ravens and Cardinals during the Lamar Jackson injury. That story is another example of how busy the rumor and trade picture has been around the Ravens, and how many moves have been linked to the team this season.
What Would Change the Story
The column is a judgment on the season so far, not a final verdict on Hendrickson as a player. The season is not over, and the numbers can still change. A closer is made in the fourth quarter, and there are still fourth quarters left to play. If Hendrickson starts to win late, if the pressures turn into sacks, and if the defense starts to get off the field in the final minutes, the opener label will fade. That is the nature of a column written in Week 9. It is a snapshot, and snapshots can change.
What would change the story most is simple to state and hard to do. He needs to produce late in games, not just early. The first half rate near 21 percent shows he can win, while the fourth quarter rate of about 12 percent shows he has not won late.
For a different look at Ravens history and the weight the franchise carries, read the story on Ray Lewis and the unbearable pain of his son death three years on. It is a reminder that Baltimore is a franchise where big names and big moments are remembered, and where a signing of this size is always judged against high expectations.
How many sacks does Trey Hendrickson have this season?
According to the Sports Illustrated column, Hendrickson has 2 sacks this season, as many as linebacker Roquan Smith. That total is far below the 17.5 sacks he had in each of the past two seasons with Cincinnati, and it is a central part of the column argument that he has not been the closer Baltimore paid for.
What is the fourth quarter split in the column?
The column says his pass rush rate is near 21 percent in the first half of games, but in the fourth quarter he has just 5 pressures on 43 pass rush reps, about 12 percent. That drop from early to late is why the column calls him an opener rather than a closer.
Why did Hendrickson leave Cincinnati?
The column notes that his Bengals exit was ugly, with holdouts and hold-ins and a May 2026 statement saying the team had stopped communicating with his camp after the draft. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2024 with 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons with Cincinnati before the move to Baltimore.
Is the Sports Illustrated piece a news report or an opinion column?
It is a column, and this article presents it as opinion and analysis, not as a news report of a new event. Its claims about Hendrickson being an opener, about Year 1 being effectively over for Baltimore at 4-4, and about the team being stuck with his contract next season are the column view, attributed to Sports Illustrated.
Sources
Pro Football Rumors: AFC rumblings on Ravens, Henry, Colts, Taylor, Chargers and Raiders
Final Thoughts
The Sports Illustrated column is blunt, and it is meant to be. Baltimore paid Trey Hendrickson 60 million dollars over two years to be a 30 million dollar a year closer, and the column argues he has played like an opener. Two sacks, a first half rate near 21 percent, and a fourth quarter return of 5 pressures on 43 reps at about 12 percent make that case in numbers. The injury in his first game, the missed time after a surgical procedure, and the invisible revenge game against the Bengals add to the story, as does the 36-10 loss to the Bills and a 4-4 record in Week 9. That is opinion, not a final fact, and the season still has fourth quarters left. If Hendrickson starts to close games, the label will change. Until then, the opener tag will follow him.
