How the Steelers launched Al Golden's Bengals into a defensive line tailspin

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden has put his team in position to take a massive step forward in 2026 thanks to far superior personnel than he had to work with last season. Unfortunately, the players did not execute on his behalf in Sunday's 30-27 road loss to the Steelers.

And look, Golden can only do so much from a play-calling and personnel deployment standpoint. He can only work with the players at his disposal, and for better or worse, it seems like Barrett Carter will remain the unchallenged green dot linebacker despite his ongoing, highly predictable struggles.

Any meaningful tweaks Golden can make boils down to the defensive line. It's considered a strength for Cincinnati, or at least it was until the Bengals got lit up by an aging Aaron Rodgers and a questionable-to-play Jaylen Warren in Pittsburgh.

The aging Rodgers should've been a sitting duck in the pocket. Instead, he often had plenty of time to throw, as Golden's aversion to blitzing in favor of four-man rushes backfired.

Warren piled up 127 yards on 17 carries, and if not for a questionable DK Metcalf holding penalty, would've had over 200 yards on the ground. The Bengals were taking bad angles and were getting blown off the ball for the most part.

All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence was about the only effective defensive player for Cincinnati on Sunday (team-best . We know Sexy Dexy is gonna show up every game. Who else can Golden really count on in the trenches, though?

The Steelers exposed the Bengals in a big way. And the easiest way for Golden to make meaningful changes is to mix up the defensive line.

Golden has some huge decisions to make that could shake up Cincinnati's defensive line

There are almost too many dilemmas to name or expound upon at great length regarding the Bengals' d-line. Let's just bullet point what should be on Al Golden's mind after Sunday's pathetic display in Pittsburgh, against what many viewed as a suspect Steelers offensive line that was debuting two brand-new starters on the right side:

• Should Cashius Howell start over Myles Murphy?
• Can Jonathan Allen still be counted on?
• How does B.J. Hill factor in once he returns?
• What will it take for Landon Robinson to get some snaps?

One easy fix to give this d-line more consistent juice: starting rookie second-rounder Cashius Howell over Myles Murphy. Howell's lack of length has yet to be a problem at the NFL level. He's just a more advanced, explosive pass rusher than Murphy, and plays with a certain violence against the run, too.

Murphy showed some good signs late last season. I just don't know how you justify keeping Howell's superior upside held to a lesser snap count in favor of a player on an expiring contract.

Doesn't it rock that I haven't mentioned Shemar Stewart at all? I say that with maximum sarcasm, because the 2025 first-round pick didn't play a single snap in Pittsburgh. He's not worthy of anything more than a brief acknowledgement to express bottomless disappointment.

The on/off splits for Dexter Lawrence from Week 3 prove that the Bengals need to do something to shake things up.

As for Jonathan Allen, his name surfaced on the injury report with a knee problem in last week's practice. He was designated as getting veteran rest days, and Zac Taylor didn't seem to concerned about it. Then Allen basically did nothing in Week 3 to speak of on the field.

It hurts that B.J. Hill can't play right now due to an ailing Achilles. He may still not be ready until after the bye. But even when he does come back, I don't know how much help he'll be. Hill has struggled to stay healthy in recent years and was gutting through ailments last year.

My point about Hill is, if Allen stays on the injury report, something needs to be done about the defensive tackle rotation. We can't just be counting on T.J. Slaton and no one else.

And that's where my ultimate Bengals lobbying initiative reenters the dialogue. I will keep banging this drum till the cows come home: Landon Robinson deserves to play over Kris Jenkins Jr., a 2024 second-round pick who continues to be a total nothing burger.

Robinson led the NFL preseason with four sacks. He flashed more raw power, versatility, athleticism, and pass rushing chops than I've ever seen out of Jenkins.

Golden should be pounding the table for Robinson to play. I can't imagine he looks worse than Jenkins on the practice field. Give me Robinson's superior playmaking potential over Jenkins' stalemate/clean-up-sack-at-best production any day of the week — especially on Sundays.

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