It's pretty awesome when the Cincinnati Bengals clearly have a strong team across the board, yet even some reserve players are making early statements and cases for more playing time.
In years past, any notion that a player was climbing the depth chart was a lot more sort of low-key. The talent across the board, particularly on defense, was so watered-down, underwhelming, and filled with JAGs (Just Another Guy).
That is emphatically no longer the case, and Week 2's 20-6 win in Houston proved it. Even the offense that returns all 11 starters from 2025 is getting some strong signs of a potential depth chart shakeup.
Cashius Howell and Cedric Johnson are balling at defensive end
When the first wave of pass rushers leave the field for Cincinnati, the second unit is no slouch. That's what happens when you really take the task of building a Super Bowl roster seriously. Third-year pro Cedric Johnson and rookie second-rounder Cashius Howell aren't just mere rotational pieces. They're legit problems for opposing blockers in their own right.
In Week 2, the Cincinnati Bengals became only the 3rd team to have 5 pass rushers with 5+ pressures in the same game since 2022, per @SumerSports.
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 21, 2026
Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Cashius Howell, and Cedric Johnson all made the list
Johnson had two sacks and five pressures on only 19 pass rush snaps, per PFF. Howell hasn't been credited with a sack yet this season, but he's a disruptive force whose quick pressure on C.J. Stroud led to one of Johnson's sacks on Sunday.
Sure, it helps to have Dexter Lawrence softening up the opposing offensive lines and letting the second unit tee off. Regardless, I'll be intrigued to see if Howell or Johnson push Myles Murphy for his starting job.
Murphy played 45 snaps in Week 2, whereas Howell was not far behind with 41, and Johnson's exceptional work in 23 snaps may be too good to keep off the field.
Erick All Jr. and Colbie Young could become X-factors in Bengals offense
I get that Mike Gesicki is a TINO (Tight end In Name Only), but the fact that Erick All Jr. out-snapped him 25 to 21 on Sunday is a big deal.
It's also not nothing that rookie fourth-round pick Colbie Young logged 11 snaps to preseason hero Dohnte Meyers' 10 in Week 2. Meyers is clearly the better fit as a slot pass-catcher, but Young's 6'5" frame and surprise polish given his limited collegiate production have him cracking the rotation already.
This is quite a leap for Young between games. he wasn't even active for Week 1, and Meyers made the most of his limited role versus Tampa Bay (18-yard reception, 10-yard run). Meyers didn't catch his only target in Houston, and Young had one first-quarter reception for seven yards.
The Bengals are really leaning into heavier personnel and multiple tight end formations — and that's not cheaply including Gesicki. I've been hyper-critical of him, but Drew Sample is holding down his spot as a blocking specialist for better or worse.
It seems like All could eventually usurp Sample in that role due to his superior pass-catching upside; he was targeted three times and only had one catch. Joe Burrow just missed hooking up a couple would-be probable chunk gains to All on screen plays. I'd anticipate a more diverse route tree from All going forward, because he's too talented not to incorporate into the passing attack.
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