One team that reportedly had been in on Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson was the Washington Commanders.

That is past tense now, as the Commanders have finalized a trade with the Houston Texans that will be sending a load of 2025 and 2026 picks to the Texans for left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

The picks included are their third and seventh-round picks in 2025, as well as second and fourth-round picks from 2026. They do receive a fourth-round pick back from the Texans in the trade as well.

That only leaves them with a pick in the first, second, fourth, and sixth rounds, as well as two selections in the seventh. That means they are probably out on a Hendrickson trade that would require a first round selection or a significant amount of picks to get done.

One team out of the race will likely lower the price tag a bit for the draft capital required by a team. It is certainly a buyer’s market as well for pass rushers, as there are many on the open market as well as in the draft this year.

The smart thing is still probably that Cincinnati just gets a deal done with Hendrickson and keeps the team’s most reliable hope at having a premiere pass rusher in 2025 for a defense that already struggled with him leading the league in sacks.