Film Breakdown: Bengals Found a Major Pass Rush Weapon in Cashius Howell

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Cashius Howell from Texas A&M in the second round (41st overall) in the 2026 NFL Draft. Howell is an explosive pass rusher who is coming off of a stellar season where he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named a consensus first team All-American.

Howell finished with 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for a loss, 31 tackles and six pass breakups in 2025. He also led the MAC in sacks prior to transferring to Texas A&M from Bowling Green. Let’s dive into the film and take a look to see what makes him so dangerous:

Where He Excels

Howell utilizes a well executed cross chop move and even has a fake cross chop bull rush that he pairs it with.

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

He has the flexibility and bend to use a ghost move successfully.

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

Howell possesses the lateral agility required to quickly change direction.

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

He's great as an unblocked defender to find the ball and make a play.

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

Utilizes high end processing to bat balls down at the line of scrimmage

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

Areas of Concern

Howell doesn't have the anchor or length to hold the point of attack or set the edge with consistency.

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

Despite getting himself in good body positioning and leverage, he fails to run through offensive linemen with consistency when attempting bull rushes.

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

Has a bit of a proclivity to run around the back of the pocket, rather than fighting through the offensive tackle.

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— Walter (@Pff_Walter) April 27, 2026

Overall Thoughts

Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) is sacked by Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Cashius Howell (18) in the third quarter of the Lone Star Showdown at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Howell has an explosive first step as a pass rusher which combined with his lateral agility gives him the ability to win inside and outside against offensive tackles.

As a pass rusher, Howell is mainly going to win by threatening the outside of the offensive tackle. He has a high end get off which allows him to win to this side with a variety of moves, mainly his cross chop and ghost move. He has the flexibility to bend and turn the corner fairly well giving him even more ability to win to the outside of the offensive tackle.

He does have a bit of a tendency to end up around the back of the pocket, rather than using his strength to turn that corner when he’s still being blocked by the offensive tackle. This takes him out of plays when he could make an impact by maintaining his course and fighting back through the block. Howell also uses his cross chop and some other moves in conjunction with his lateral agility to win back to the inside of the tackle as well.

Howell does a good job of reading when the offensive tackle has overset and frequently punishes them by changing direction and working to their inside rather than continuing to rush outside. There are flashes of ability to win with power but it’s not consistent. His best move to set up a power rush is to flash his cross chop and then get underneath the offensive tackle and use his leverage to run straight through them back to the quarterback. This is one of the areas where his lack of length will show up as well as he has shown an inability to get extension on occasion leading to him being stuck on the tackle rather than able to disengage and make a play. He also does an excellent job of reading out screens, quick game, etc. and gets his hands up to knock the ball down when the quarterback is trying to release it over his head. He was asked to drop on occasion for Texas A&M and that may be something that he is asked to do with the Bengals as well since he has the experience.

As a run defender, Howell does an exemplary job of reading out what’s in front of him and is not fooled by fakes or option plays very often. He is able to find the ball with ease and chase it down to make a play. He also seems to recognize the blocks coming to him well. He does not have the anchor to consistently set the edge or take on double teams. He’s not a guy who can be reduced down to inside of the offensive tackle or even really inside of the tight end. His lack of length will show up in the run game as a limiting factor as he is unable to consistently shed blocks and make run stops. He is strictly a guy that should be playing on the edge of the defense when it comes to defending the run. He does tackle fairly well for a guy with short arms. He wraps up and is able to either stall for help or bring the ball carrier down himself.

Howell also has a bit of a weird stance that he uses. For some reason he has his feet and hips pointed toward the sideline rather than the line of scrimmage. This could give him the ability to quickly change direction back inside, but it also seems to limit his get off some as he will take false steps and be unable to fully extend his first two steps out quickly. He would probably be better served to get in a more traditional two point stance so that he can use his explosive speed.

Schematic Fit

Howell is most likely going to be used in a 2-point stance on the ball as an outside linebacker in the Bengals odd front base defense. He'll be in a 3-point stance as a defensive end in the Bengals even front nickel defense. He may be more of a designated pass rusher for them, rather than a full time player.

When he does play on mixed downs, his best spot may be in a role they asked Demetrius Knight to play last season as the SAM linebacker on the line of scrimmage. This will keep him from having to face very many double teams. He should align outside of the tackle and tight end in a wide 9 alignment more often than not. He does have the moveset and agility to possibly be used as a stand up rusher on the inside when the Bengals face 3rd-and-long situations though. He can be asked to drop into coverage on occasion, which also makes it seem as if he could take over for some of the role Knight was asked to play last season. The difference is he won't have to shift to inside linebacker on third down and will be able to rush the passer instead.

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