Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden continues to see reinforcements for his unit as the Bengals draft Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell with the No. 41 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

There was no competition as to who was going to be the club’s first selection of the draft.

“He was far and away the highest guy that we had, and completely kept falling to us, to be honest with you,” Golden said of Howell after the pick. “And so we couldn’t have been more thrilled when he was there for us.”

Howell fills a need as the finishing piece to a revamped defensive line. He’ll ultimately be judged by how he rushes the passer, but at 6-2, 253 pounds with 30.25″ arms, he has a smaller frame for a traditional Bengals EDGE.

And that might just be why Golden is excited about adding him to the mix.

Cashius Howell can fill two major needs for Bengals’ defense

Pass rush is king, and there’s no question Howell’s main job will be getting after the quarterback when he’s on the field for Cincinnati.

That he’s the size of an old school linebacker also gives him value at that position as well.

The Bengals have been needing another LB who can play on the edge in odd fronts, when there are three down-linemen and two stand-up backers on the edge.

Boye Mafe projects to add value to that role, as he mainly rushed out of a two-point stance with the Seattle Seahawks. Golden expects Howell to bring the same skillset.

“Motor guy,” Golden said. “Can play 4-2 EDGE. Can play outside backer if you go to five-down or bigger people. Showed proficiency with the ability to drop. Can help us on special teams. So just a multi-faceted athlete and really, really twitched up guy.”

LB was pegged as a glaring need for Cincy entering the draft due to a lack of bodies who can aptly fill this role. Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter remain the starting stack backers in the second level, and Knight specifically struggled filling the on-ball role as a rookie last year.

Golden himself expressed a desire to find another player who can take that pressure off last year’s second-round pick. The new second-rounder can now be that solution.

The Bengals may still be adding to their LB group before the week ends, but Howell’s arrival will have an impact there that not every EDGE could’ve brought to the table.