What’s going on with Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson?

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor started the week by getting the bad news about defensive end Trey Hendrickson out of the way.

Taylor essentially ruling Hendrickson out for the Week 14 game against the Buffalo Bills wasn’t all that shocking. The All-Pro pass-rusher has been dealing with a nagging injury he already reaggravated once while trying to play through it earlier this year.

But the how of Taylor’s back-and-forth with reporters about it caught the attention of fans.

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com summarized:

Taylor called defensive end Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) doubtful for Sunday. He hasn't played since Oct. 26, and when asked if he expected Hendrickson back this season, Taylor said, "Yeah, we'll just keep taking it week to week." …

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Fans, though, clipped the video from the team’s presser:

Of note, rehabbing players aren’t necessarily in all of the team meetings, so that part of the conversation might register as a moot point.

Hendrickson reaggravated the injury against the New York Jets in October, but he and the team elected to keep him off injured reserve so he could attempt ot get back sooner. That hasn’t happened, but it’s not necessarily a shocker, either, considering reports that he might need offseason surgery.

Fans will always connect the dots, though. Hendrickson has had multiple contract standoffs with the team and will technically be a free agent after the season. Taylor’s usually mysterious answers to routine questions don’t help.

But as a whole? There’s nothing totally out of the ordinary going on with Hendrickson and the Bengals. Joe Burrow’s return and the fact they’re still alive in the AFC North down the stretch, though, has very much put a bigger-than-usual spotlight on this.

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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: What’s going on with Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson?