The Cincinnati Bengals have handed the veteran pass-rusher role to Boye Mafe after Trey Hendrickson departed for Baltimore in free agency. Fresh off a Super Bowl championship with Seattle, Mafe arrives in Cincinnati with plenty of upside, and the Bengals are hoping he can provide the same spark Hendrickson did when he arrived in 2021.
Mafe won’t be carrying the load alone. He’s joined by rookie second-round pick Cashius Howell and former first-round selections Myles Murphy (2023) and Shemar Stewart
(2025), giving the Bengals a young and talented group of edge rushers.
As the only member of the room with significant NFL experience, Mafe has been impressed by Stewart’s approach entering his second season.
“I see a hungry kid. I see a kid who wants to get better and wants to learn,” Mafe said during voluntary workouts, according to Geoff Hobson. “He’s like a sponge when it comes to knowledge. He’s willing to learn everything and anything he can about the game.”
Stewart, meanwhile, says he feels far more comfortable heading into his second offseason with the team. That comfort level has translated into increased confidence and faster play on the field.
“When you’re in your head about things, when you’re questioning yourself, that’s when you can move around timid,” Stewart said. “I feel like that’s what I’ve been trying to eliminate from my game as I walk out here after year one. Just trying to be more mentally focused and locked in on what I have to do. It’s been a great start to year two. I feel that comes from mental clarity. Once you know what you’re doing, you can play and move a little faster.”
If Stewart and Murphy take significant steps forward as pass rushers in 2026, while Mafe and Howell provide steady production of their own, the Bengals could transform a position group that once looked thin into one of the deeper edge-rushing rotations in the league.
