Even with a roster that looks strong top to bottom, the Bengals are already seeing a few reserves force their way into the conversation after Week 2.
That’s a different kind of depth-chart movement than Cincinnati used to get. In past years, any rise from the back end of the roster felt quiet and tentative.
Now it’s happening in a group that’s already loaded, and the 20-6 win in Houston made that clear. The offense still has all 11 starters from 2025 back in place, but even there, a few role battles are starting to tilt.
At defensive end, Cashius Howell and Cedric Johnson are making real noise. When Cincinnati’s first pass-rush wave comes off the field, the next group isn’t a soft landing spot for opposing offenses. Johnson, a third-year pro, and Howell, a rookie second-round pick, have both been disruptive enough to look like more than just regular rotation pieces.
In Week 2, the Bengals became only the 3rd team to have 5 pass rushers with 5+ pressures in the same game since 2022, per @SumerSports.
Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Cashius Howell, and Cedric Johnson all made the list
- Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 21, 2026
Johnson finished with two sacks and five pressures on just 19 pass-rush snaps, per PFF. Howell still hasn’t been credited with a sack this season, but his impact showed up in plenty of other ways, including the quick pressure on C.J. Stroud that helped create one of Johnson’s sacks on Sunday.
It does help to have Dexter Lawrence drawing attention up front, but the bigger point is what Cincinnati now has behind the starters. Howell and Johnson are both making a case to push Myles Murphy for the starting job. Murphy played 45 snaps in Week 2, while Howell was right behind him at 41, and Johnson’s work in only 23 snaps may be too strong to keep sidelined much longer.
There’s movement on offense too, where the Bengals are leaning into heavier personnel and more two-tight-end looks. Erick All Jr. is one of the names to watch there. Mike Gesicki is a TINO (Tight end In Name Only), but All out-snapping him 25 to 21 on Sunday matters.
Colbie Young is also starting to wedge his way into the mix. The rookie fourth-round pick played 11 snaps in Week 2, just ahead of preseason standout Dohnte Meyers at 10. Meyers is still the cleaner fit as a slot target, but Young’s 6'5" build and surprisingly polished game, especially given how little he produced in college, are getting him on the field sooner than expected.
That’s a pretty quick rise for Young, who wasn’t even active in Week 1. Meyers had made his mark in Tampa Bay with an 18-yard catch and a 10-yard run, but in Houston he didn’t haul in his lone target. Young, meanwhile, caught one pass for seven yards in the first quarter.
The Bengals are using more heavy packages, and that doesn’t just mean lining up with Gesicki on the field. Drew Sample remains the blocking specialist, for better or worse, but All looks like he could eventually take over that role because of what he can offer as a receiver.
All was targeted three times and came down with one catch. Joe Burrow also just missed him on a couple of likely chunk plays on screen passes.
Even so, All seems destined for a bigger slice of the offense. He’s too talented not to work into the passing game in a more varied way.
In Other News...
Boye Mafe Is Giving Bengals Fans A Real Reason To Believe
Boye Mafe has given the Bengals something they have been searching for on the edge: a steady, disruptive presence who can change the feel of a defense. Early in the season, the Cincinnati signing has already flashed the kind of impact that gets attention around the league, including eight quarterback pressures in a recent game against the Houston Texans, while his pass-rush and run-defense grades have landed him among the NFLs top edge defenders.
For a Bengals defense trying to build on a better start, Mafes production matters because it does not look like a one-game spike. His all-around work has started to resemble the kind of roster move that changes a units ceiling, the sort of addition Cincinnati once found with Trey Hendrickson. The comparison is an encouraging one for fans, even if the bigger question is how far Mafe can keep carrying that level of disruption as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Enter Week 3 With The AFC North Suddenly In Flux
Week 2 did a number on the AFC North hierarchy, and the Bengals are walking into Week 3 with the division suddenly looking more unsettled than it did seven days ago. Cincinnati sits atop the standings after a weekend that saw Cleveland answer some of the early skepticism with a win over the Buccaneers, while Pittsburgh ran into trouble against the Patriots and Baltimore slipped out of first after a late loss.
For the Bengals, the bigger picture is simple: the margin in this division already feels thin, and the next round of games could shuffle it again. With the Browns trying to build on their bounce-back showing, the Steelers still searching for a steadier footing and the Ravens trying to recover from a damaging finish, Cincinnati has a chance to keep control if it handles the coming stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Allen Is Giving Bengals Fans Another Reason To Believe
Jonathan Allen has quickly given Bengals fans a fresh sense of optimism along the defensive front. Since arriving in Cincinnati, he has settled in as more than just another body on the line, becoming a steady presence who has carried value both in the locker room and on Sundays. His impact showed up in a pregame speech before the matchup with the Houston Texans, then carried over into the kind of on-field production the Bengals have been looking for from their interior rush.
Allens early work has matched the reputation that came with him. He has already logged a sack and multiple tackles for loss, and the early pass-rush numbers point to a player who is helping elevate the line around him. For a Bengals defense that needed more disruption up front, Allen has given the group a more credible edge, and maybe even a little more belief as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]