Thanks to a suspension, the Minnesota Vikings will have to begin the 2025 NFL season against the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals without the services of talented wide receiver Jordan Addison.
Well, one of those first three opponents, the Bengals, just shared some news that is going to make it even tougher for the Vikings to deal with Addison not being available for the matchup.
On Monday, Cincinnati announced that they have agreed to a revised contract with All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson. With Hendrickson's hold-in coming to an end, he is now expected to be available when the Bengals travel to the Twin Cities in Week 3 to take on Minnesota inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minnesota Vikings new offensive line will have their hands full against Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson in Week 3
Last season, Cincinnati ranked 25th in the NFL in sacks, but Hendrickson accounted for 48.6 percent of the team's total number, as he finished with 17.5 sacks in 17 games. So, the Bengals having him available will definitely increase their chances of coming away with a win over the Vikings in a few weeks.
It will also be a great test for Minnesota's new and improved offensive line. The Vikings will still have Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill lined up on the outside as their two offensive tackles, but they've got some new talent in the interior of the line for the 2025 season.
Joining Darrisaw and O'Neill along the line in Minnesota this year will be rookie Donovan Jackson at left guard, four-time Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly at center, and veteran Will Fries at right guard.
The Vikings got very serious this offseason about protecting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and they'll need everyone's help in Week 3 to keep Hendrickson away from their starting signal-caller.
Getting a win over the Bengals in the third game of the season was already going to be difficult for Minnesota. But with Hendrickson now officially on track to play in the contest, defeating Cincinnati this year will be anything but easy for the Vikings.