Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson could be an issue for Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks will get left tackle Charles Cross back after he's missed every game since Week 1 with a toe injury, but Seattle will still be without starting right tackle Abraham Lucas. And sure, Seattle has gotten used to playing without Cross and Lucas since the first game of the year and in their place Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan have been fine, but Hendrickson is likely the most dynamic pass rusher they have faced this year not named Aaron Donald.
Hendrickson already has 6 sacks and has 5 in his last three games combined. He also has 6 quarterback hits in those three games as well as 4 tackles for loss. Basically, Hendrickson is in the proverbial zone right now and to help Geno Smith stay clean and have time to complete passes to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and friends, Seattle has to keep Hendrickson away from Smith.
The Bengals are smart in the way they use the 6'4" and 270-pound Hendrickson, though. They will move him around the line and hide him somewhat in formations. And Cincinnati will attack whichever Seattle lineman isn't having the best of days.
So far in 2023, though, Seattle quarterbacks have only been sacked on 5.1 percent of drop backs. That is sixth-best in the league and is a testament to how well offensive line coach Andy Dickerson has had his unit prepared. Seattle has missed multiple offensive linemen in multiple games and still been effective. Dickerson should have a solid design to block against Hendrickson too.