The Bengals Just Built A TERRIFYING Defensive Line...

The Cincinnati Bengals may have built one of the deepest defensive lines in the NFL. Dexter Lawrence is the star of the group, but the biggest development through the first two games of the 2026 season is just how many different pass rushers Cincinnati can throw at opposing quarterbacks. Against the Houston Texans, the Bengals generated an incredible 41 pressures. Even more impressive, five different Bengals pass rushers recorded at least five pressures in the same game: Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Cashius Howell and Cedric Johnson. John Sheeran breaks down why that depth could make Cincinnati's defensive line one of the biggest strengths on the entire roster. The Bengals entered the offseason with a clear objective: build their pass rush from the inside out and create enough depth to attack opposing offenses in waves. Cincinnati added Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, but that wasn't going to be enough by itself. The Bengals needed their young players to develop. They needed Myles Murphy to continue progressing. They needed Boye Mafe to become a consistent contributor. They needed to hit on Cashius Howell in the draft. And they needed players like Cedric Johnson to prove they could handle meaningful snaps. Two games into the season, the early results are extremely encouraging. Cashius Howell has already established himself as Cincinnati's third-best edge rusher behind Mafe and Murphy, according to John's evaluation. Howell has shown the ability to string together pass-rush moves, generate pressure and win in multiple ways. Cedric Johnson may be the biggest surprise. Johnson produced four pressures, a sack and three hurries on 11 true pass-rush opportunities against Houston, winning 45.5% of those pass-rushing opportunities. If that level of production continues from the Bengals' fourth defensive end, Cincinnati's defensive line becomes much more dangerous. Then there is Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence has been the star of the unit, but his impact extends beyond his own statistics. The attention he commands from opposing offensive lines creates one-on-one opportunities for teammates like T.J. Slaton, who has taken advantage of those opportunities. That is the bigger story. The Bengals don't need every pass rusher to be a superstar. They need enough players capable of winning their individual matchups that opposing offenses can't simply focus on one or two players. That's what Cincinnati appears to have built. The Bengals' defense also showed that it doesn't need turnovers to survive. Houston couldn't run the football, converted only two of 13 third downs and stayed out of the end zone for the entire game. Now Cincinnati gets to continue developing this defensive line with B.J. Hill working his way back from injury and Shamar Stewart gradually increasing his role. Could this defensive line become the foundation of the Bengals' 2026 season? Is Cashius Howell already proving to be one of Cincinnati's biggest draft hits? And just how good can this pass rush become if everyone continues developing? John Sheeran breaks down why the Bengals' defensive line is much deeper — and potentially much more dangerous — than most people realize. Subscribe to A to Z Sports Cincinnati for Bengals news, analysis, game reactions, player breakdowns and everything you need throughout the 2026 NFL season. #Bengals #CincinnatiBengals #WhoDey #NFL 0:00 The Bengals' defensive line just changed everything 0:37 Cincinnati's stars showed up against Houston 1:13 The pass rush suddenly came ALIVE 1:58 Five Bengals had 5+ pressures 2:25 41 pressures is absolutely insane 2:59 The numbers behind Cincinnati's pass rush 3:16 Cashius Howell is becoming a HUGE piece 4:12 Howell's pass-rush moves are impressive 4:57 Cedric Johnson shocked everyone 5:49 Cedric Johnson's incredible pressure numbers 6:26 Shamar Stewart adds another weapon 6:48 Dexter Lawrence is making everyone around him better 7:29 The Bengals' second defensive line is dangerous 8:11 This was the plan all along 8:32 The Bengals can attack quarterbacks in WAVES 8:59 Dexter Lawrence is only part of the story Make A to Z Sports your preferred source on Google: https://google.com/preferences/source?q=atozsports.com Play A to Z Sports Daily Games: https://atozsports.com/games For more Bengals coverage: https://atozsports.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals-news/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BengalsFans4Life Twitter/X: https://x.com/AtoZSportsNFL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atozsportsbengals/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@atozsportsbengals #CincinnatiBengals #Bengals #BengalsFootball #WhoDey #NFL #NFLFootball