Recent Linebacker Additions Should Give Bengals Defense a Boost

Recent Linebacker Additions Should Give Bengals Defense a Boost

Brian Asamoah II

The Bengals originally added Asamoah to the practice squad on October 30th, and he saw action against the Chicago Bears in Week 9 before being signed to the active roster. He’s a fourth-year player from the University of Oklahoma and had his best season as a junior in 2021, where he started 10 of 12 games, recording 90 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Asamoah also plays on special teams and made his presence felt immediately against the Bears with excellent blocking that paved the way for a Charlie Jones kickoff return touchdown. It’s been a whirlwind for Asamoah over the last year as he hopes to find a home with Cincinnati, and he’ll get an opportunity as the fifth linebacker for now.

Antwaun Powell-Ryland

Powell-Ryland is an intriguing player with good size at 6’3″, 252 pounds, and a strong pedigree from Virginia Tech, where he earned first-team all-ACC and Associated Press All-American third-team honors as a redshirt senior with the Hokies. In his final season at VT, Powell-Ryland was unstoppable and had 16 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries, which ranked third in FBS. He also posted a solid Relative Athletic Score (RAS) in the pre-draft process, which speaks to his potential upside.

The Bengals need all the help they can get rushing the quarterback, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Powell-Ryland elevated to the game-day roster this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Closing Thoughts

Monday was an interesting day in Cincinnati with the announcement of Joe Burrow returning to the practice field and the Bengals opening his 21-day window to be activated. The truth is, it won’t matter unless the defense starts playing significantly better. The additions of Asamoah and Powell-Ryland are a good start; it’s up to the others to start pulling their weight if Burrow is to play meaningful football in 2025.