Bengals rookie Cashius Howell chasing first NFL sack in Pittsburgh
The short version
- Cashius Howell, a second-round rookie, has seven pressures but no sacks through two games.
- The Bengals (2-0) visit the Steelers (1-1) on Sunday in an AFC North matchup.
- Aaron Rodgers has taken 75 sacks since the start of 2024, ninth-most in the NFL.
- Howell finished college with 27 sacks at Bowling Green and Texas A&M.
The second-round pick out of Texas A&M has seven pressures through two games and visits the Steelers on Sunday.
Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Cashius Howell has yet to record a sack in his first two NFL games, but the pressure numbers suggest one is near. The second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M sits third on the roster with seven pressures, breaking down as six quarterback hurries and one hit. Five of those pressures came in Sunday's 20-6 road victory over Houston.
Teammate Shemar Stewart, who also played at Texas A&M, made his season debut in Houston and notched a sack in only five late-game snaps. He predicted a breakout is coming for Howell. Head coach Zac Taylor added that Howell has matched what the team envisioned when it drafted him, while noting there is room to grow as the rookie faces different tackles and techniques.
The timing could be favorable. Cincinnati, off to a 2-0 start, travels to face the 1-1 Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North matchup on Sunday. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 75 times since the beginning of the 2024 season, the ninth-highest total in the league, including four sacks in last week's loss to New England. PFF.com rates Pittsburgh's offensive line 12th in the NFL this year.
Howell said he is eager for the milestone but is not fixated on statistics. He called facing Rodgers a full-circle moment, recalling watching the quarterback win the Super Bowl with Green Bay over Pittsburgh in 2011, when Howell was seven years old.
In college, Howell compiled 27 sacks across four seasons at Bowling Green and Texas A&M, including 11.5 in 2025. Cincinnati rebuilt its defensive line this offseason, trading the No. 10 overall pick for Dexter Lawrence and adding three new starters up front.