The Cincinnati Bengals rookie pass rusher Cashius Howell had surgery on his wrist and is going to miss some time. Head coach Zac Taylor did not confirm that he would be placed on the IR. However, he did say that it was trending that way.
“Cashius, wrist, had surgery on it last night,” said Taylor during his press conference. “Certainly out weeks. But we will determine the timeline as we go.”
When asked if Howell would be placed on the IR, Taylor did not have a direct answer.
“I would not say that as of yet, but certainly trending in that direction,” Taylor added on Monday.
Howell posted on Instagram that his arm was in a sling after a surgery last night.
Cincinnati Bengals Edge Rusher Cashius Howell Will be Out Weeks
Howell is a rookie second-round pick, getting selected 41st overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, he is hitting the ground running as a rookie. He did not start, but played 25 snaps in his rookie debut. His season low in snaps was 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the most snaps he has played in a game this season was 41 in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.
Howell had six pressures against the Texans and four against the Pittsburgh Steelers, per PFF. Overall, Howell had 14 pressures and one sack on 185 snaps.
Losing the second-round rookie for the foreseeable future is a tough strain on the depth and talent that was brought to the room.
Bengals Have Need for Edge Rusher
Cincinnati had made second-year rusher Shemar Stewart inactive in Week 7 despite being healthy. The group was just so deep at the position that he was not needed.
Now, the team not only lost Howell, but backup rusher Cedric Johnson also left the game with an injury. Taylor noted his injury is not as severe. So, Stewart could step in as the fourth rusher with Howell out.
However, Stewart is a much different rusher than Howell. Stewart is more of a backup to Myles Murphy. They are both long-armed rushers who can defend the run and bring power to the pass rush.
Howell is undersized and is a speed rusher. The team would play Stewart more on run-defense downs, and Howell more on pass-rushing downs. As things stand, the Bengals do not have an edge rusher with the speed to match what Howell brought.
Isaiah Foskey and Garmon Randolph are on the practice squad and neither has his speed.
The biggest weakness on the Bengals was already their defense. Now, they are losing their best speed pass rusher. The team could get Howell back later in the year, but if they have to place Howell on the IR the odds of them trading for an edge rusher should go up significantly.
Bengals HC Delivers Tough Injury News on Second-Round Rookie