Howard Cross III

Howard Edward Cross III (born July 31, 2001) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Early life Cross was born in Paramus, New Jersey and attended Saint Joseph Regional High School, where he was a state-champion wrestler. He committed to play college football at the University of Notre Dame.

College career As a freshman in 2019, Cross totaled seven tackles in four games. In the shortened 2020 season, he recorded 13 tackles. He finished the season with 22 tackles with 4.5 being for a loss, and three sacks.

In week 2 of the 2022 season, Cross recorded 11 tackles with half a tackle being for a loss in a loss to Marshall. He finished the season with 33 tackles with 2.5 going for a loss, two sacks, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. Cross earned the starting nose tackle spot ahead of the 2023 season. In week 5 of the 2023 season, he tallied 13 tackles with 3.5 going for a loss, a sack, and two forced fumbles in a win over Duke. Cross was named a midseason All-American, by ESPN after eight weeks of the 2023 season.

Statistics Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Total Solo Ast Sack PD Int Yds TD FF FR TD 2019 Notre Dame 4 0 7 3 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 Notre Dame 12 0 13 8 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2021 Notre Dame 12 2 22 13 9 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2022 Notre Dame 12 7 33 14 19 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2023 Notre Dame 13 13 66 28 38 2.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2024 Notre Dame 13 13 28 14 14 4.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 66 35 169 80 89 11.0 4 0 0 0 3 0 0

Professional career

On May 9, 2025, Cross signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft. Reuniting him with defensive coordinator Al Golden who was his defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. He was waived on October 3 and re-signed to the practice squad four days later.

Cross signed a reserve/future contract with Cincinnati on January 5, 2026. On August 30, 2026, Cross was waived by the Bengals as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.

Personal life Cross is the son of former New York Giants tight end Howard Cross. He has a twin sister, Bella.