Cashius Howell

Howell was taken by the Bengals in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, coming off a breakout season at Texas A&M University in '25 ... In his final year with the Aggies, he racked up 11.5 sacks, was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and earned first-team All-America along with first-team All-SEC honors ... Became first Texas A&M player with 11 or more sacks in a season since current L.A. Rams DE Myles Garrett in 2015 ... Showcased his athleticism and quickness at the NFL Combine, where he clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.59 seconds and recorded a vertical jump of 32.5 inches ... Spent his final two collegiate seasons at Texas A&M, after playing his first three years at Bowling Green State University in northwest Ohio ... Finished career with 127 tackles, 35.5 TFLs, 27 sacks, 15 PBUs, one INT, three FFs and one FR across five seasons.

Howell was taken by the Bengals in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, coming off a breakout season at Texas A&M University in '25 ... In his final year with the Aggies, he racked up 11.5 sacks, was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and earned first-team All-America along with first-team All-SEC honors ... Became first Texas A&M player with 11 or more sacks in a season since current L.A. Rams DE Myles Garrett in 2015 ... Showcased his athleticism and quickness at the NFL Combine, where he clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.59 seconds and recorded a vertical jump of 32.5 inches ... Spent his final two collegiate seasons at Texas A&M, after playing his first three years at Bowling Green State University in northwest Ohio ... Finished career with 127 tackles, 35.5 TFLs, 27 sacks, 15 PBUs, one INT, three FFs and one FR across five seasons.

Career transactions: Selected by Cincinnati in second round of NFL Draft (41st overall) on 4-24-26 ... Signed with Bengals on 6-9-26.

Defensive coordinator Al Golden says: "He's a dynamic pass rusher. He had great production. Not average production — great production. He is a motor guy. He can play 4-2 edge, can play outside linebacker if you (line up with) five down or bigger people. He showed proficiency with the ability to drop (into coverage). He can help us on special teams. So, this is a multi-faceted athlete and a really twitched-up guy."

College: Spent final two seasons (2024-25) at Texas A&M, following three years ('21-23) at Bowling Green ... Played in 56 career games with 25 starts ... Totaled 127 tackles (73 solos), with 35.5 TFLs and 27 sacks ... Added 15 PBUs, one INT, three FFs and one FR.

2025—Played and started 13 games at Texas A&M ... Named first-team All-American (AP) and first-team All-SEC ... SEC Defensive Player of the Year ... Finalist for Bronko Nagurski Award and Chuck Bednarik Award (both presented to nation's top defensive player) ... Recorded 31 tackles, with 14 TFLs and 11.5 sacks ... Sack total ranked second in SEC and tied for seventh in FBS ... Became first Texas A&M player with 11 or more sacks in a season since DE Myles Garrett in 2015 ... Also had six PBUs and one FF ... Posted four solo tackles with career-high three sacks on Sept. 6 vs. Utah State ... Had 2.5 sacks for total loss of 23 yards on Oct. 4 vs. Mississippi State ... Notched two sacks on Oct. 25 at Louisiana State.

2024—Played in all 13 games with one start for Texas A&M ... Registered 40 tackles (26 solos), with 8.5 TFLs and four sacks ... Added seven PBUs, one INT and one FF ... Ranked second on team in sacks and third in TFLs ... Logged first sack of season for loss of six yards on Sept. 14 at Florida ... Posted five tackles with a sack on Nov. 23 at Auburn ... Made lone start of season in Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 27 vs. Southern California, recording sack for 13-yard loss and first career INT (six-yard return).

2023—Played in all 13 games with 11 starts for Bowling Green ... Named third-team All-Mid-American Conference ... Tallied 28 tackles (16 solos), 10.5 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, one PBU and one FF ... His 9.5 sacks tied for most in the MAC and tied for fourth-most in a season in Bowling Green history ... Registered two sacks for total loss of 20 yards on Oct. 21 vs. Akron ... Had season-high four tackles with two sacks on Nov. 14 vs. Toledo.

2022—Played in all 13 games for Bowling Green ... Recorded 22 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, one PBU and one FR ... Had first full sack of season and first PBU on Sept. 24 at Mississippi State ... Recovered a fumble and returned it seven yards on Oct. 22 at Central Michigan. 2021—Played in four games as a true freshman at Bowling Green, retaining his redshirt ... Posted six tackles (five solos) ... Had five stops on Nov. 16 at Miami (Ohio).

High school: Attended Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo. ... Served as a team captain in senior season ... Recorded over 150 tackles with 21 sacks in career ... Also had five rushing TDs and two TD passes ... Had 14 sacks in junior season, the second-most in school history; set school record with six sacks in a game during junior year ... Also lettered in basketball.

Personal: Hometown is Kansas City, Mo. ... Majored in pre-exercise science at Bowling Green ... His father, Maximillian Howell, played hockey at Miami (Ohio).

Last Updated July 2026