Bengals Complete 2026 Draft Class With Howell Signing; Defense Gets Hendrickson Replacement Piece

The Bengals have inked all 11 members of their 2026 draft class, with defensive end Cashius Howell becoming the final holdout to sign. The 41st overall pick agreed to a four-year deal on Tuesday, completing Cincinnati's offseason roster construction just ahead of training camp.

Howell arrives as a concrete replacement option for the pass-rush production that evaporated when Trey Hendrickson departed for free agency in March—nearly three months ago now. At Texas A&M, the 6'4" prospect recorded 11.5 sacks last season while transferring in from Bowling Green, where he posted 9.5 sacks in 2023. The film shows consistent bend off the edge and functional hand placement, traits the Bengals identified as critical after losing their sack leader.

What matters for Cincinnati's defensive calculus: Hendrickson generated 8.5 sacks in 2025, operating as the team's primary pressure point against right-side blocks. Howell's college tape doesn't yet indicate that caliber of production, but his trajectory—from FCS level at Bowling Green to Power-5 performance at A&M—suggests upside. The Bengals are banking on year-one rotation reps to develop that edge.

From a prop-betting perspective, the timeline and placement signal measured expectation. If Howell were primed for immediate impact—high snap counts, early-down situational leverage—Cincinnati would have signed him faster; draft classes typically get contracts finalized within weeks of the draft, not months. The delayed deal suggests organizational confidence but not urgency, which means his sack prop lines should price him as a complementary pass rusher, not a featured pass-rush threat. Any market overreaction to his college sack totals (11.5 in a Power-5 season can inflate expectations) represents an edge: lean unders on Howell's individual sack lines early in the season, particularly in Weeks 1-6 before snap-count volatility settles. The Bengals' broader defensive sack total may tick up from last year's number due to this addition, but Howell's personal contribution should be discounted relative to his draft position.