The Cincinnati Bengals did enough in free agency and on the trade market this offseason to basically make their 2026 NFL Draft class a bit of a moot point. Drafting is not the Bengals front office's typical strong suit as it is, but they appear to have (at least) three big hits on their hands already.
Between the glowing reappraisal of the 2023 class and this year's crop of talented youngsters, perhaps the most under-resourced scouting department in the NFL actually does somewhat know what they're doing. Emphasis on "somewhat."
No to be real, the trade for Dexter Lawrence was a masterstroke that helped Cincinnati avoid picking a player 10th overall fans would've loathed. To the collective credit of Duke Tobin and his minions, they sure made the most of the rest of the draft by landing no fewer than three young studs who could see the field a lot this season.
Cashius Howell is poised to be a rare top Cincinnati draft pick to make an immediate impact
Zac Taylor said in his postgame press conference on Saturday that Cashius Howell had gotten plenty of reps in the past two weeks. Sitting him out for the preseason win over the Bears wasn't some ominous, injury-related signal.
Howell has crushed it at training camp by all accounts. It's so refreshing to see.
The last several years of top Bengals draft picks haven't been great. Dax Hill took a long time to settle in at his rightful position. Myles Murphy didn't come on until halfway through his third NFL season. Amarius Mims only started due to an injury to Trent Brown. Shemar Stewart was a disaster last year and is injured right now.
So yeah, Duke Tobin and the scouting department badly needed a win. What's dope about the Howell situation is that he's a second-round pick, and the Bengals got a sort of supreme 2-for-1 on top draftees thanks to the Lawrence trade.
Stewart's injury-induced absence has given Howell even more room to carve out a significant role. He'll help spell Boye Mafe at times in the Viper role of Al Golden's scheme, which is a hybrid edge defender who can also play off-ball linebacker.
Landon Robinson has officially put the squeeze on Bengals' defensive tackle rotation
To be totally candid for a second: As a sportswriter, you get to a certain point before roster cuts finally come down and you wonder to yourself, "How many different ways can I say the same thing?"
That's where I'm at regarding Kris Jenkins Jr. not making the roster. I do not believe he belongs based on pure merit. His status as a second-round draft selection in 2024 may save him. However, Landon Robinson is making a huge impression.
I've gassed up Robinson literally since January as a future Bengal. I had him ranked 100th on my NFL Draft big board. Multiple mock drafts where I had him landing in Cincy. He wasn't drafted till the seventh round, yet Robinson shows more promise than Jenkins ever has.
And wouldn't you know it! If you won't take my word for it, dear reader, how about somebody with boots on the ground and sources? Here's the latest buzz from The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. on Jenkins' roster outlook:
"The 2024 second-round pick might stick on the roster, but the strong preseason from seventh-round rookie Landon Robinson makes his departure a possibility. Jenkins has never quite taken off in Cincinnati, but he’s still a second-round pick with potential. He also looked good in the preseason opener last year but could be the odd man out among a deep defensive line."
Is there a mic I can drop? I would normally assume the Bengals will just be stubbornly loyal to Jenkins, but after they released Cody Ford on Monday, maybe the times are indeed a changin' in the Queen City after all.
Also look out for McKinnley Jackson to be waived. He's the clear No. 3 nose tackle behind Lawrence and T.J. Slaton, and Robinson has shown he can line up there (and at fullback!) and hold his own just like he did in college at Navy.
Colbie Young keeps defying the odds as the most pleasant draft class surprise
At the bare minimum, the 6'5" Colbie Young ought to be a frequent red-zone target this season. He flashed his potential in that department with his first NFL TD in the preseason rout of the Bears:
First TD for Colbie!#CHIvsCIN 7:00 PM on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/05jEXy4a3V
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 23, 2026
Dohnte Meyers' rapid rise up the depth chart presents a bit of a pickle for the Bengals in terms of who to get in the wide receiver rotation. Meyers has the specific skill set to play in the slot, whereas Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, and Young are all bigger-bodied boundary targets.
That hasn't stopped Iosivas from trying to play in the slot. It's also complicated by tight end Mike Gesicki being a glorified slot receiver.
Crowded as Joe Burrow's pass-catching corps is, there's no reason Young can't have at least three or four TDs as a rookie. That'd be no small feat given how often Burrow will be targeting Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, especially with the latter eyeing Randy Moss' single-season receiving TDs record.
Young's draft status and training camp trajectory guarantee him a roster spot. Given that he had off-field concerns coming into the NFL and a lack of college production, I have to credit the Bengals for taking a swing on him. They easily could've shied away from a character-concern prospect after how bad the Jermaine Burton situation panned out.
To be honest, I thought they should have passed up Young at the time. He felt like their worst draft pick by far. Now, it's looking like Young could be a massive steal.
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