The Cincinnati Bengals placed rookie defensive end Cashius Howell on the Reserve/Injured list Tuesday with a wrist injury, sidelining the second-round pick for at least the next four games.
Howell underwent wrist surgery Monday after sustaining the injury during the second half of Sunday’s 43-36 overtime victory over the Tennessee Titans. The procedure left him unavailable for the team’s upcoming international matchup.
Head coach Zac Taylor said Monday he did not have a specific timeline for Howell’s return to action. Taylor described the injury as one that would keep Howell out for weeks while the team assessed the recovery process.
Placement on injured reserve means Howell is ineligible to return until at least Week 13. The Bengals did not announce a corresponding roster move to fill the open spot on the 53-man roster.
Howell, selected 41st overall in the 2026 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, had appeared in all seven games this season. He recorded six tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and five quarterback hits while playing roughly 40 percent of the defensive snaps.
The 23-year-old entered the league after a standout final college season in which he earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and finished with 11.5 sacks. Cincinnati used him primarily in a rotational role behind starters Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe.
The Bengals’ other defensive ends currently on the roster are Murphy, Mafe, Cedric Johnson and Shemar Stewart. Johnson is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury suffered in the same Titans game, while Stewart has seen limited snaps in recent weeks.
Howell ranked second among NFL rookies with a 14.3 percent pressure rate through the first portion of the season, according to ESPN Research. That figure underscored his early contribution as a designated pass rusher despite modest traditional counting stats.
Cincinnati sits at 5-2 heading into Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid. The contest marks the Bengals’ first overseas game since 2019 and will be played without Howell’s availability on the edge.
The team’s defensive front has generated solid pressure this season, ranking among the league leaders in sacks. Losing a contributor who had logged significant second-half snaps in recent weeks forces adjustments to the rotation for the immediate future.
Taylor indicated earlier in the week that the club would determine Howell’s longer-term status as more information became available on the wrist recovery. The IR designation now provides a clearer minimum absence.
Howell’s absence removes a young player who had shown flashes setting the edge against the run and generating consistent pressures. Cincinnati’s remaining edge group will absorb the additional workload over the next month.
The Bengals travel to Spain with several other defensive players managing day-to-day issues, including cornerback DJ Turner II (heel). Those statuses will be monitored throughout the week as the team prepares for the Falcons.
Howell’s rookie campaign is now paused after a promising start that included his first career sack in a Week 7 win at Baltimore. The four-game minimum absence gives the organization time to evaluate both his progress and internal options at the position.
