With their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected edge rusher Cashius Howell. Spoiler alert!
And while some of us were apprehensive about the Bengals reaching back to Texas A&M for yet another high draft pick, Howell being on the board at 41 was too good to pass on.
Now, while we wait to see what the future holds for the talented pass rusher, we take a look at past Bengals and recent draft picks to assess what a successful rookie season would look like for Howell.
Taking a risk on Cashius Howell's measurables was nearly unprecedented for the Bengals
While it is a risk taking an early chance on a pass rusher of Howell’s short-armed stature, sometimes, if you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.
The Bengals are not used to having an edge rusher of Howell’s frame who plays more of a 3-4 outside linebacker role. The closest relatively recent Bengals comparison is Carl Lawson. And that is excellent news for the Bengals.
In Lawson’s rookie year, the former fourth-rounder recorded 8.5 sacks, 16 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 21 hits on the quarterback. If Shemar Stewart did that in 2025, many would have declared him an absolute steal with the 17th overall pick.
If you go back further, to their 1990 first-round pick, linebacker James Francis, you’ll find another successful rookie season from someone who did not play the classic defensive end position.
Francis recorded eight sacks and 78 tackles in his rookie campaign. Again, with lofty numbers for Howell to shoot for.
Blueprint for Cashius Howell's role already exists
The Bengals had a shot at drafting a couple of players in the style of Howell in last year’s draft.
One of the outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid players from last year’s draft is the Los Angeles Rams’ Josaiah Stewart, who would have been a perfect fit for what the Bengals are doing now with their defense.
In his rookie campaign, Stewart notched 22 tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, and six QB hits. He played in all 17 games for the Rams with zero starts. Despite not starting, Stewart had a noticeable impact as a rookie.
If everything goes according to plan for Howell, he will be in a role similar to Stewart's. Expect Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy to be the starters at edge, with Howell working in as a rotational piece and pass-rush specialist, while doing some dropback, classic linebacker things.
In Murphy’s rookie season, in 17 games played, he accumulated 20 tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, and three QB hits. Mafe notched three sacks, 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, and four QB hits in his rookie season.
Going with the premise that Howell was a better pass rusher than both of them out of college, we should hope for a better rookie season out of the Bengals' rookie.
...Or at least one on par with Josaiah Stewart-sized impact for the defense, while hoping for Carl Lawson or James Francis numbers.
Atlanta’s rookie duo represents a possible ceiling
Beyond Josiah Stewart in the 2025 NFL Draft, there was another linebacker and edge rusher we scouted heavily, both of whom were selected by the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons selected Jalon Walker and James Pearce 15th and 26th overall, respectively.
Some of us saw Atlanta taking Walker before the Bengals took Stewart 17th as a sort of revenge after they passed on Ja’Marr Chase in favor of Kyle Pitts.
Walker, the linebacker-edge rusher hybrid, recorded 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and nine QB hits. Pearce recorded 26 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 16 QB hits.
It won’t be completely fair to compare Howell’s rookie season with Atlanta’s first-rounders. However, heading into the draft, many of us would have lost an incredible sum of money betting on whether he’d be there when the Bengals were on the clock with their second-round pick.
Projecting Cashius Howell's rookie numbers
We should not expect Howell to eclipse Jevon Kearse's record of 14.5 sacks. However, Rookie of the Year consideration would be nice.
Hopefully, the former Aggie will come in and perform to the level of former Bengals rookies Carl Lawson and James Francis.
But considering he won’t be a Day-1 starter, we will temper those expectations. Furthermore, we may see Howell doing some of the dropback linebacker things more than we’re expecting him to.
Closer look at Cashius Howell. This time dropping in coverage. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/QKVHZgSGWg
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) May 8, 2026
Our final prediction for Howell's rookie year is 7 sacks, 30 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 9 QB hits.
And while those numbers may not seem as high as we want them to be, they would blow away the production from recent Bengals’ defensive rookies, including a couple of first-rounders.
And there is also the chance that Howell trounces those projections.
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