The Cincinnati Bengals traded the 10th overall pick for defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, and just used their 2nd-round pick to add even more juice to the pass rush with Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell.
Howell joins fellow former Aggie Shemar Stewart, who was picked by the Bengals in the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft, on the defensive front for a Bengals team that desperately needed help this offseason.
The Bengals came into this offseason knowing they had to upgrade their defensive front with Trey Hendrickson on the way out, and they've done a great job of attacking that loss from multiple different angles. The Cashius Howell fit was almost too good to be true, and it's now a reality.
Cashius Howell gives Cincinnati Bengals another pass rush weapon
Howell started off his college career at Bowling Green before transferring for his final two seasons to play for Texas A&M, and he showed some outstanding improvement while he was there.
He racked up 14.5 tackles for loss and 11 total sacks this past season, along with six batted passes and a forced fumble. The production was off the charts, so why did he fall to the 2nd round? Well, he's got shorter arms than ideal (31 inches) and was already slightly undersized off the edge to begin with at 6-foot-2, 253 pounds.
Howell's production off the edge, however, is impossible to deny.
Stewart's history of pass rush productivity isn't limited to sacks and pressures, either. Even with shorter arms, he found a way to bat down 14 passes over the past two seasons.
The Bengals have already added Boye Mafe to their group of edge rushers this offseason, and they'll obviously be expecting a big jump in year two from Shemar Stewart. Getting another playmaker like Cashius Howell could suddenly give them a fearsome rotation to start bringing at teams in waves.
Texas A&M expert Graham Harmon of Gig 'Em Gazette gave a great report on what Bengals fans can expect from Howell right away:
"Measurements at the Combine were not kind to Cashius, but these are the same concerns he had to overcome out of high school, and you can't really argue with the production. He has a litany of pass-rush moves in his bag and some great bend, but his short arms will scare some GMs off. I think he'll be very productive as a pass-rush specialist."
- Graham Harmon
The deep bag of rush moves will suit Howell well as he makes his transition to the pro level, and he's played a lot of football. This is a great pick for the Bengals with their first selection of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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