Cincinnati Bengals training camp is officially underway, and the first week has already resulted in more news than expected.
A fight on the team already broke out, and perhaps more worryingly was the injury to 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who figures to be a significant member of the team’s defense this season. Fortunately, while Stewart will miss time with his injury, it was not as bad as the team initially feared.
However, Stewart’s injury also led to one disappointing revelation.
Cincinnati Bengals Rookie Called Out
Bengals Wire’s Chris Roling was listing his primary takeaways from the first day of Cincinnati Bengals training camp. Regarding Stewart’s injury, he listed it as a bad moment for rookie Cashius Howell, as he did not see an increase in usage following the injury.
Roling wrote:
“Once Stewart went down, Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe stepped up as the primary edge rushers. It was Isaiah Foskey who seemed to rotate into Stewart’s spot, though. It’s a small thing, but it would have been nice to see rookie Cashius Howell get the critical reps with the first team when they happened.”
Expectations are high for Howell during his rookie season. He was Cincinnati’s top drafted player, and among those who are expected to replace All-Pro pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson. Howell finished with 11.5 sacks in his final season at Texas A&M; however, he will have a difficult time replicating that level of success if he’s unable to see the field.
Cashius Howell Expectations
Of course, putting too much stock into the amount of snaps a rookie is receiving during the first day of training camp is likely a bit silly. Howell will need time to develop into the player Cincinnati fans hope he will be.
NFL.com writer Gennaro Filice is among those who believe Howell will provide an immediate boost to the Bengals defense. He included the young Cincinnati pass-rusher in his all-rookie team projections. Regarding Howell, Filice wrote:
“I guess I really don’t care about arm length. Howell’s measurement was even shorter than Rueben Bain Jr.’s at 30 1/4 inches, which helps explain why the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year fell into Round 2. The undersized defensive end could be a liability on early downs, but Cincinnati didn’t draft the 6-3, 255-pounder to stop the run. With Trey Hendrickson now playing for the rival Ravens, the Bengals need guys to heat up opposing quarterbacks. Last year’s first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, proved to be as raw as many feared, so Cincy went back to the Texas A&M edge factory for a different model. As a speed ball with a deep bag of tricks, Howell has the kind of refined skill set that can provide immediate returns in a DPR (designated pass rusher) role. For comparison’s sake, Howell had more sacks last October (5.5) than Stewart had in his three-season college career (4.5). So, yes, I expect Howell to blow past Stewart’s rookie sack total of one.”
Hopefully, Stewart’s training camp absence will open up a new opportunity for Howell to make an impact in his rookie season.
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