Week 5 is the perfect time for Bengals to get Cashius Howell back on track

The Cincinnati Bengals had what many believed to be an excellent 2026 NFL Draft class, and Cashius Howell was the linchpin of the latest rookie group. However, the second-round pick out of Texas A&M has seen his role diminish across the Bengals' last two losses despite an excellent start.

Howell looks miles (Myles? A&M or Murphy pun?) better and more impactful than Shemar Stewart has at any time in his young career. Honestly, Howell is better than Myles Murphy. The only issue is, Howell is the primary backup to the Bengals' best and highest-paid defensive end, Boye Mafe.

Maybe it's just me, but playing the best players, period, seems like a good idea — especially on the defensive line, where the Bengals have Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen occupying so much attention.

Does Cashius deserve to play over Myles Murphy? I say yes.

It sure seems like the Bengals aren't keen on playing Cashius Howell over Myles Murphy. Why that is, I'm sure I don't know. Maybe Murphy's superior size and experience give him the edge. For now.

Look, I get that Myles is in a contract year after having his fifth-year option declined. I get that he showed signs in 2025 down the stretch, albeit as a member of a terrible defense.

But now that we actually have a rookie who looks like he belongs right away, and we're not playing him as much? It's more than a little frustrating.

The Bengals are giving up 4.5 yards per carry. That's hard to do when you have Dexter Lawrence eating up double teams at the prolific rate that he does. PFF ranks Murphy as the 107th-best run defender out of 110 qualifying players on the edge. I'm sorry to oversimplify like that, but am I wrong!? Come on!

And it's not like Murphy is some world beater as a pass rusher. Never has been. He has speed to power, maybe a counter move or two, and that's about it. Fans were thrilled that the dude Cincinnati picked in the first round in 2023 had a whole 5.5 sacks last season! Wow!

Murphy stans and box score scouts will have a field day comparing Murphy's sack output from 2025 to Howell's goose egg in that category.

Box scores don't tell the whole story, y'all. Exhibit A: Cashius Howell, who played 41 snaps in Week 2, 25 in Week 3, and 17 in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars.

Howell could go hunting in Week 5 vs. Dolphins

Not to make some cruel ocean hunting joke at Miami's expense. This is purely about football, and how Cashius Howell gives the Bengals' pass rush a better chance at harassing mobile Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis than Myles Murphy does.

Howell is just a better athlete who can win with quicker pressure. He has a deeper bag of pass rushing moves than Murphy. It's going to take a cohesive effort in the defensive trenches to keep Willis from breaking out of the pocket and making the tackling-challenged Bengals defense pay when he takes off to run.

If nothing else, Week 5's matchup against a winless Dolphins team should almost be treated as an early self-scouting test before the Bengals' bye. No need to press the likes of Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins back into duty. Also no need to play the likes of key starters like Mafe and Murphy more snaps than the bare minimum required to secure a win against an offense averaging 11.5 points per game.

Let's hope Joe Burrow and the offense overwhelm that outmanned Miami secondary to put Willis in obvious passing situations. And let's hope Al Golden and the coaching staff have the wherewithal to deploy Howell in those instances.

Not only is it playing to the team's strengths to have Howell out there teeing off on Willis. It's also just smart to get a longer look at Howell, expedite his development, and give him a fairer shot at a larger role as the season goes on.

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