The Cincinnati Bengals had a whale of an offseason to improve their defense with proven commodities like Dexter Lawrence, Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen, and others. They didn't halt their efforts for reinforcements on that side of the ball in the 2026 NFL Draft either.
In fact, the Bengals bucked their own longstanding trends by drafting a short-armed defensive end in Texas A&M's Cashius Howell in the second round. If not for those lesser-length 30 1/4" limbs, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year almost certainly would've been a Day 1 pick.
Both Howell and Bucs first-rounder Rueben Bain Jr. had those length concerns. What are the odds that both of them will be productive NFL players? Guess we'll all find out together.
While history is stacked against Howell, and his lesser draft status suggests a fate worse than Bain's, he may be in ideal position to prove he was worthy to go much higher in the draft order.
Bengals DE Cashius Howell has the makings of an all-purpose defensive playmaker
Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden plans to deploy Howell as a hybrid edge defender and off-ball linebacker. It's an ambitious blueprint for a rookie to tackle, but Howell seems to have the talent and want-to to be up to the multifaceted task.
In all honesty, the fact that Howell is likely to get some run at linebacker is a relief. It's hard to fathom anyone playing any worse than Barrett Carter or Demetrius Knight Jr. did last season.
Knight was lined up on the edge at times and was dreadful. Like sure, in theory, cool idea. The actual execution? It's wanting, yo.
It reminds me of the iconic Ben Affleck commentary from Armageddon, where he blasts the movie's plot/storytellers for the dramatic concession that it's more logical for NASA teach oil drillers to become astronauts, rather than the other way around.
Trying to train Knight to have some sort of nuanced pass rush plan, or set the edge effectively, when he can't even fit the run from his natural position? Those are fool's errands.
There seems to be some notion that Howell can only win with speed. The tape told a different story to assistant GM Mike Potts, as relayed by Bengals radio voice Dan Hoard:
"I think the quick wins he can give us as a rusher is really dynamic...His arsenal of rush tools and the moves that he has — I don’t wanna speak for anybody else — but I thought it was second-to-none in this draft class.”
I don't anticipate Howell having to execute much in coverage beyond the occasional spot drop on simulated pressures from the linebacker spot. Letting him loose on the edge as a designated pass rusher, and as a blitzer from the inside, seems like a rocket science-circumventing way for the Bengals to just get their most talented, capable defensive players on the field at once.
And if that's the general plan for Howell, well, I have a feeling he's going to outplay his draft billing in a hurry. Barring a breakout from Howell's Texas A&M teammate, Shemar Stewart, he should have plenty of room to make a rookie-season splash.
Given that Stewart had a grand total of 4.5 sacks in three seasons for the Aggies, and Howell piled up 11.5 last year alone, I'd say the odds favor the latter to score more snaps in the defensive end rotation.
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