Bengals undrafted DT's 'dirty work' in camp is what the defense desperately needs

New Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden was instrumental in the development of former Notre Dame defensive tackle Howard Cross III over the last few years. Under Golden's watch, Cross shined for the Fighting Irish as an interior pass-rusher, registering quarterback 62 pressures. Half of those came during the 2023 season, so there's reason to believe Cross' eye-popping productivity in South Bend can translate to Sundays. After a less impressive final year in college in which he missed three games with an ankle sprain, Cross went undrafted. That was less to do with his achievements at Notre Dame and more due to his undersized 6-foot-1, 285-pound frame. Nevertheless, Cross is defying the odds by making a splash at Bengals camp so far — to the point that head coach Zac Taylor called him out by name after Tuesday's practice. Sometimes it's easy to be skeptical and say that Cross' Irish ties to Golden are the only reason he got an invitation to training camp. Similar situations happen across the lea