There was a stretch last winter when Joe Burrow looked completely untouchable. The Bengals were a top-five third-down offense. Every red zone trip? A highlight reel waiting to happen. You could almost hear the defenses sigh through their mouthguards. At one point, Burrow threw for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns in seven straight games—an NFL record. Even when his O-line wobbled, the QB was poetry. Cincinnati had its QB. A quarterback with receipts. And a heater.

But you know what the wildest part was? They still missed the playoffs. Nine wins, no ticket. And it wasn’t because Joe blinked. No, he was wheeling and dealing, torching secondaries with a grin. The QB put up MVP-type numbers and somehow watched January from the couch. If anything bothered Cincy’s playoff hopes, it was their defense.

And now that they’re heading towards the 2025 season, Burrow, along with his offensive weapons, is set to explode on the gridiron. But the quarterback and his crew still have their defensive woes. Let’s take a look at their 2024 season’s defense. It was the worst in the league. Their defense finished 25th in yards allowed per game (348) and 25th in points allowed (25.4/g), despite being 6th in scoring offense (27.8/g). Their only bright spot?

Trey Hendrickson. But we’ll get back on that later. Ahead of the 2025 season, Cincy hired Al Golden as the team’s defensive coordinator. The DC is pretty well known for strong linebacker coaching at both the NCAA and NFL levels. Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a top-ranked defense in the NCAA during his tenure. And we can say that the Bengals are doing a pretty good job of making their D-line effective.

To make it interesting, they brought Tedarrell Slaton from Green Bay and Oren Burks straight from the Super Bowl-winning campaign with Philly. And if we give it a look at their draft picks, then it’s safe to say that the Bengals are looking to flip the script in the 2025 season. But if you are thinking that it all sounds too perfect, think again.

Joe Burrow’s Bengals are stuck with contract disputes

The Bengals entered the 2025 offseason with their biggest dilemma: the defensive line. Sure, they’ve made certain changes on their roster and coaching staff, but they’re still stuck with contract disputes with their veteran players. And yes, we’re talking about Trey Hendrickson, who was the only good thing that happened to the Bengals’ defense.

Because let’s face it—Cincy is expecting their new defensive coordinator to overhaul some things and make improvements. But if the front office won’t extend Hendrickson’s contract ahead of the 2025 season, then yeah, it’s going to be tough for the Bengals to stop opposing offenses once again. Hendrickson’s last season?

The 30-year-old veteran led the league with 17.5 sacks and amassed 83 quarterback pressures. No wonder he’s eyeing a massive contract extension now that he’s entering the final year of his deal. But are the Bengals ready to re-sign him? That’s the tricky part. “We can’t have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right? We’ll do what we can. We’ll do what we feel is right, and we will try to get Trey re-signed.” That’s what the Bengals Director of Player Personnel, Duke Tobin, said in January. Fast forward, and still no contract.

To make things even harder for their defense, the rumor mill is buzzing that Hendrickson is now seeking a trade. A huge red flag for Joe Burrow and Co. All in all, if Hendrickson is out of the picture, one thing will become certain: Joe Burrow might have to face another tough season in 2025.