Before the snap, Cashius Howell let everyone know what kind of fire he brings to the football field. The Texas A&M pass rusher stared across the line at an LSU offensive lineman and television cameras caught him delivering a steady streamof pre-snap trash talk before a timeout was called.
Howell would finish the night with two sacks asNo. 3 Texas A&M rolled to a 49-25 win in Happy Valley on his way to All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The Bengals saw that same edge when they made Howell their first selection in the 2026 NFL draft, taking him in the second round after trading away their first-round pick in a blockbuster deal that brought Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati.
Just a few practices into his first NFL training camp,
Howell is trying to prove that confidence translates to Sundays.
"I've always had a chip on my shoulder after being doubted and no one believing in me," Howell told The Enquirer. "That just caused me to develop a natural chip on my shoulder that I still carry with me to this day and I'll continue to carry with me for the rest of my career."
That mentality couldn't come at a better time for Cincinnati after an offseason centered around fixing a struggling defense. The Bengals' pass rush will garner plenty of attention this season after finishing 23rd in the NFL with 37 sacks last season. All-Pro Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai combined for nine of those sacks before departing in free agency, while defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who contributed four more, opened training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
"When I got drafted, yes," Howell said when asked whether he saw an opportunity on Cincinnati's depth chart. "Obviously, utmost respect to the veterans and guys like that who are ahead of me, but I wanna come in and make a statement. I want to make my presence felt and make it known that I'm a force to be reckoned with and that my game will translate to the next level."
The Bengals hoped they've helped solve part of that problem by acquiring Lawrence while signing veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen along with edge rusher Boye Mafe in free agency. A strong, veteran-led interior helps out young linebackers at the second level and opens up opportunities on the edge.
"It helps a lot," Howell said. "With guys like Dex, Jonathan Allen and T.J. Slaton, it's gonna be easy for those guys to get double and sometimes triple teamed. That leaves guys like me on the edge for 1-on-1s, and whenever I get those opportunities, I need to take advantage of them and go win, go make plays."
Howell has spent the first block of training camp sharpening every facet of his game, with a specific focus on playing fast and loose in space.
"The coverage and getting more comfortable out in space and having to correct my eye discipline to see my keys, read my keys and use my keys," Howell said. "Making sure I'm anchoring and playing good run defense, as well as getting comfortable in space.
"I'm out there feeling good. I feel like I'm taking my corrections and going out there and trying to get better in some aspect every single day. I’ve still got a long way to go individually. I feel like as we continue to keep stacking days, I feel like we can have something special between myself and this defense.”
For a rookie, balancing confidence with the steep learning curve of the NFL can be difficult. Second-year linebacker Barrett Carter admitted this week that he felt his edge fade at times during a tumultuous rookie season last year because there was so much to process. That's something Howell looks to avoid when he gets his opportunity to rush the passer.
"At the end of the day, it’s just about not complicating things,” Howell said. “This is the same game that I’ve been playing since I was three years old. This is the highest level you can play it at. Simplify it as much as you can and go out there and have fun playing football.”
The Bengals' defense had one of its better days against the offense on Day 4 of training camp Saturday, Aug. 1. Most of that came amongst the first teamers in the secondary, while Howell had his own highlight during redzone work with the second-team defense. The rookie battled Cody Ford and got to Joe Flacco deep in the backfield, forcing an incompletion out of the back of the endzone.
Howell admits he still has a "long way to go," but if he can harness the swagger that went viral last fall in college, it could help solve one of the biggest question marks surrounding this defense.
"I bring the same energy, same intentionalism and the same juice every day," Howell said. "I’m here to stay. I’m here to be a positive force on this defense and have a positive impact on this team so we can go win a Super Bowl.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cashius Howell brings an edge in attempt to boost Bengals pass rush
