Bengals join NFL Draft with Cashius Howell pick to replace Trey Hendrickson

Bengals join NFL Draft with Cashius Howell pick to replace Trey Hendrickson originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to improve their defense after it posed some major problems for the team last season.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bengals are drafting defensive end Cashius Howell out of Texas A&M. It's a great pick, but it means something interesting for the Bengals.

This selection for the Bengals is what the team is doing to replace Trey Hendrickson, who left and signed with the division rival Baltimore Ravens.

2026 NFL DRAFT HQ:Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available

Bengals draft their Trey Hendrickson replacement

Cincinnati is adding more pass rusher help and will pick up the Texas A&M pass rusher, who was elite last season for the Aggies.

Howell recorded 11.5 sacks and 31 total tackles with one forced fumble last season, and was a productive player for the last few years as well.

He had four sacks in 2024, and back in 2023, Howell recorded 9.5 sacks. He's a bit of an older prospect, but with the Bengals in win-now mode, it's not a major surprise that the Bengals are going with Howell.