Bengals 2026 Training Camp Preview: DE
Players:
53. Boye Mafe
99. Myles Murphy
55. Cashius Howell
94. Shemar Stewart
52. Cedric Johnson
51. Isaiah Foskey
56. Antwaun Powell-Ryland
The Bengals had a massive hole to fill at DE when they lost Trey Hendrickson to the division rival Baltimore Ravens. And while the Bengals didn’t get a replacement of the same calibre, they utilized other resources to bring in multiple guys, hoping the sum adds up to more than just Hendrickson on a huge contract.
Boye Mafe was brought in from Seattle. His production isn’t up there in the Hendrickson tier, but there is reason to believe we see it rise. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Hendrickson’s elite production didn’t start until he joined Cincinnati. Similarly, Mafe is highly impactful as a rusher. Even if the stats haven’t been there in elite numbers, the chaos he creates in the pocket is substantial. If this can continue, it is reasonable to think that production could increase. And even if it doesn’t, his pressure rate will still make him an impact player.
Murphy is expected to start opposite of Mafe. The Bengals declined his 5th year option, but it’s possible they still extend him. Last season, Murphy started slow but really turned it on in the back half of the year. With a full time role and another offseason of work under his belt, I’m expecting a big leap from the former 1st rounder.
Stewart and Howell will be competing for snaps behind the two starters. Both should definitely be involved, but the distribution may not necessarily be even. Stewart showed flashes as a rookie, but injuries slowed him down. There is hope that we see more consistency from him, and it is possible that he gets some work inside as well.
Howell, meanwhile, is a rookie 2nd round pick. At this stage, his run defence is a bit of a question mark. However, he should be a dynamic pass rusher out of the gate. I’d expect his rotational role to consist of plenty of snaps in obvious passing situations. We’ll see if he can earn more early down work as well.
Beyond the top four, we’ll see a bit more competition for roster spots. Cedric Johnson should be pretty comfortably ahead of the rest. By now, he’s been in the league for a little bit, and showed enough flashes to be perfectly acceptable as a depth guy who can also factor into the rotation.
Foskey has some draft pedigree, but it hasn’t quite translated into production yet. He got into 8 games for the Bengals last season, but will have to show more to stick around.
Powell-Ryland, a 2025 6th round pick of the Eagles, is someone who showed some pass rushing potential as a prospect. He joined the Bengals practice squad last November, and hasn’t yet cracked an active roster. We’ll see if he can take a step forward. Him and Foskey are both guys I could see ending up on the practice squad this upcoming season.
