The Cincinnati Bengals quietly made a few roster moves over the last few days that had nothing to do with the return of quarterback Joe Burrow.
One of those Bengals roster moves, too, is a big one.
While announcing the elevation of linebacker Brian Asamoah II to the active roster, the Bengals also revealed the addition of Antwaun Powell-Ryland to the practice squad.
A small note, yet a big one, too.
RELATED: Joe Burrow could be returning ‘sooner than was expected,’ per report
Powell-Ryland, after all, is a sixth-round rookie edge rusher out of Virginia Tech who had strong production in college en route to being a first-team all-ACC player.
At face value, the Bengals could really use the edge rushing depth, with Isaiah Foskey the only other notable one on the practice squad. Same deal on the active roster, where depth names like Cedric Johnson and Cam Sample aren’t necessarily standing out on limited snaps.
Beyond that, it’s notable to see the Bengals making good future-minded additions to the roster, with Powell-Ryland a candidate to come up to the active roster. And at a time when first-rounder Shemar Stewart is off to a poor start after alarmingly low production numbers in college, perhaps this is a sign of the team adjusting how it seeks out pressure creators for the future, too.
We had a 4th round grade on Antwaun Powell-Ryland in the stacked 2025 EDGE group.
From a prospect profile perspective, he is probably the second most talented pass rusher on their roster already.
Good:
➖Incredible at converting rushes into pressures/sacks (29 career sacks,… https://t.co/kZlJ6BfiCm— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) November 11, 2025
RELATED: Former NFL coach slams Bengals during bye week
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ newest signing is rare good move, encouraging sign

