The Cincinnati Bengals front office made an unprecedented move this offseason in trading their first round pick to the New York Giants in exchange for Dexter Lawrence.
The Bengals were without a first round selection in this year’s draft, but Duke Tobin and his staff were able to snag a first-round talent in the second round.
Cincinnati drafted Texas A&M edge Cashius Howell, the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, in round number two to help boost a revamped defense.
Howell recorded 32 total tackles
(21 solo), an SEC-leading 11.0 sacks, and 1 forced fumble in 2025 for the Texas A&M Aggies and earned himself unanimous All-American honors.
CBS Sports recently posted some predictions for the 2026 season, and John Breech has Howell bringing home some hardware this upcoming season.
Breech believes Howell will be named the 2026 Defensive Rookie of the Year and also predicts the Bengals will go 11-6 and earn a wild card playoff berth.
“The easiest way for a defensive player to win this award is to rack up sacks, and Howell is in the perfect position to do it,” Breech wrote. “With Dexter Lawrence now on the team, you can pretty much bet that every offense the Bengals play this year will be worried about slowing down Lawrence. That likely means Lawrence will regularly see double teams, which should open the door for someone on the defensive line to shine, and I think that someone will be Howell, who was taken with the 41st overall pick back in April.”
It will be exciting to see this revamped defense in action next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it will also be fun to see how second-year defensive coordinator Al Golden will use his new weapons.
