The Cincinnati Bengals spent their first pick in a second consecutive draft on a polarizing Texas A&M defensive end in Cashius Howell. After last year's disappointment from Shemar Stewart, it was a bold strategy indeed to go back to the Aggies for another top prospect.
But Howell is a far different player than Stewart. He's much smaller, but has similar explosive athleticism, and can even flex out to play off-ball linebacker in certain subpackages.
Or at least that's the plan projected by Cincinnati defensive coordinator Al Golden. Many other Bengals fan favorites were on the board at Pick 41, but Golden has a lot of conviction that Howell was the ideal choice for his scheme.
If nothing else, Howell should at least add instant pass rushing value to a rapidly-improving Bengals front that just spent the 10th overall pick to score All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence days before the draft.
Al Golden offers glowing praise & specific vision for Cashius Howell's role in Bengals' defense
Although I'm a little reluctant to buy into the alleged Nik Bonitto type of upside Howell has, Al Golden's words in Friday evening's press conference suggests the young stud will be a major factor in the Bengals' 2026 defensive plans. That's more than we can say for recent top picks like Dax Hill, Myles Murphy, and Stewart himself when they were rookies.
Anyway, with a hat tip to Mike Petragila of CLNSCincy.com, here's the majority of the key points Golden had on Howell's fit with the Bengals:
"I think he's very similar to Boye in (pass rush)...Couldn't believe he kept falling to us...Great production, motor....Really twitched up guy. [...] We want to be able to come at people in waves. We've established that now. [...] We can substitute now at will, and I'm grateful for that. The way he plays jumps off the tape. Plays with his hair on fire."
And a couple more standalone quotes, which hint at the intensity with which Howell attacks the opposing quarterback and how he can align at multiple spots:
Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden on drafting Cashius Howell:
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) April 24, 2026
“He’s violent. He’s a violent player. Violent and disruptive. I’m excited about how strong and smart we are up the middle.”
Al Golden said Cashius Howell can be a 4-2 edge, an outside backer on five down fronts, can drop when you need to. He's a multi faceted athlete who's really, really twitched up.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) April 24, 2026
The scouting report skinny on Howell is that he comes off the edge with violence and extreme burst. What's a little disconcerting is the fact that he has only 30 1/4" arms, which are shorter than those of Miami Hurricanes star and Bucs first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr.
It didn't really matter for Howell, though. He transferred to Texas A&M from Bowling Green and made the major jump in competition with exemplary aplomb. Howell had 11.5 sacks last year and was a first-team All-American. Quite the stark contrast to Stewart, who managed only 4.5 sacks in three seasons of action at College Station.
The Bengals typically target bigger-bodied defensive ends. They're going outside of their comfort zone with Howell, which in a way, speaks to their increasing open-mindedness as an organization. And Golden has a clear blueprint on how he wants to deploy the second-round dynamo.
Drafting Howell puts more pressure on rising second-year linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter to hold up their end of the bargain. The supporting cast around them couldn't be much more loaded with talent. We'll see if they rise to the occasion. Cincinnati's 2026 season greatly depends on it, barring another draft pick at the position or free-agent acquisition.
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