The Cincinnati Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America today named DE Trey Hendrickson as the Bengals' Most Valuable Player for the 2023 season.
Hendrickson, who recently was named to his third career Pro Bowl, won the award with the majority of the vote from the local chapter. He becomes the first defensive lineman to be named the Bengals' MVP since DT Geno Atkins in 2017. WR Ja'Marr Chase was a finalist for this season's honor.
"Trey Hendrickson proved his immense value to the Bengals defense as one of the most reliable and dominant pass rushers in the NFL," said chapter vice president Mike Petraglia. "He recorded a career high in sacks despite often being the target of double teams and scheming to account for his explosiveness off the edge."
A seventh-year player out of Florida Atlantic University, Hendrickson finished the 2023 campaign tied for second in the NFL in sacks with a career-high 17.5, which also marked the second most in a season in team history behind DE Coy Bacon's 22.0 in 1976. He lined up for 742 defensive snaps, the most in his career, and added three passes defensed as well as three forced fumbles.
Since joining the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in 2021, Hendrickson's 39.5 total sacks are the fifth most in the NFL. He is the second defensive lineman in team history to earn at least three Pro Bowl selections, joining Atkins (eight).
Past MVP winners have been QB Jon Kitna (2002-03), HB Rudi Johnson ('04), QB Carson Palmer ('05), OT Willie Anderson ('06), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh ('07-08), CBs Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph ('09), OT Andrew Whitworth ('10), QB Andy Dalton ('11 and '15), DT Geno Atkins ('12 and '17), LB Vontaze Burfict ('13), HB Jeremy Hill ('14), WR A.J. Green ('16), HB Joe Mixon ('18), WR Tyler Boyd ('19), S Jessie Bates III ('20) and QB Joe Burrow ('21, '22).
