Once the Cincinnati Bengals selected Cashius Howell in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it became extremely obvious how much they liked him. The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year was passed up by his hometown Kansas City Chiefs, much to the Bengals’ pleasure.
In their video series “Giants Life,” the New York Giants revealed that they had a trade offer from the Bengals to move up to pick No. 37 in order to draft Howell.
After their blockbuster trade for Dexter Lawrence II before the draft,
the Bengals were looking to make another deal with New York to ensure Howell landed in Cincinnati.
New York wanted Hood, but they had interest in moving back if he was off the board at 37. The Bengals were willing to make another aggressive move, likely assuming Howell was on Kansas City’s radar. In the end, both New York and Cincinnati got their guys.
This is another example of the Bengals attacking this offseason with far more aggression than we have seen from them in the past. They traded the 10th overall pick for Lawrence, made a Day 3 trade to add another fourth rounder, and based on the video, were also prepared to make a move up the draft board on Day 2.
The aggression was there. The sense of urgency was clearly ringing throughout the building. Now, we just hope all of the aggression pays off, and the Bengals get back to postseason play.
