One of the seemingly least significant members of the Cincinnati Bengals defense could prove to be one of the biggest surprises at training camp.
Although the Bengals have made a lot of additions to the defensive line, they have a certain roster incumbent who could contribute to the rotation and even to the second level of the defense. He was initially a draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, and in case anyone doesn't realize with this eagles GM Howie Roseman has a pretty phenomenal track record of evaluating college talent.
So who is this mystery Cincinnati defender? His name is Antwaun Powell-Ryland.
Can Bengals defender Antwaun Powell-Ryland sneak onto 53-man roster?
Due to the Eagles having an absolutely stacked d-line, Powell-Ryland was an odd man out during last year's roster cuts. Despite being a sixth-round pick, his roster spot wasn't guaranteed.
One could easily argue he's on the outside looking in with the Bengals — and could be seeking employment elsewhere yet again soon enough. However, Cincinnati's scouting department scooped him up for a reason. This man was a pass rushing, splash-play machine in college.
After transferring from Florida to Virginia Tech for his final two collegiate seasons, Powell-Ryland racked up 83 combined tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, and 25.5 sacks. That included 16 sacks during the 2024 campaign.
Saying all this to say...a curious update flew in just after the Bengals wrapped up a nightmarish 6-11 record in January. Powell-Ryland was among the 13 players who signed reserve/futures contracts. Despite his dynamism off the edge, the 24-year-old was listed not as a defensive end, but as a linebacker.
Rookie second-round pick and the latest SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Cashius Howell, has designs of being a force off the edge and splitting time as an off-ball linebacker in 2026. Could Powell-Ryland be in line for a similar role and to serve as Howell's primary backup in that capacity?
This is the route that presents itself for Powell-Ryland to defy the odds, catch the coaching staff's attention, and somehow make this roster that's so loaded that Joe Burrow is comparing it to his LSU national championship-winning team of 2019.
Given the poor state of the Bengals' linebacker corps, any help to that position group would be greatly appreciated. Think I speak for most Who Dey Heads when I say that.
Even if Powell-Ryland is a mere gimmicky subpackage player who can line up that linebacker but shift pre-snap and pressure the opposing quarterback from anywhere, that could be a nice change-up pitch for Cincinnati defensive coordinator Al Golden to have in his back pocket.
This is admittedly a long-shot scenario, buoyed by the inextinguishable optimism that comes from the Bengals momentous, historic offseason.
Should Powell-Ryland fail to hack it, that's a brutal draw for the beginning of his NFL career. It doesn't necessarily mean he can't play at this level, or play meaningful snaps for a quality team. It may just be a case of the Bengals simply being too talented. That's merely one of many reasons why this roster bubble is going to be so fascinating to monitor throughout camp.
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