The Cincinnati Bengals have a new deadline story to manage after linebacker Logan Wilson requested a trade following a sharp dip in snaps.
The sixth year defender remains a captain and has started all seven games, yet rookies Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. have taken the bulk of the work in the middle.
Wilson played under 20 percent of defensive snaps in the loss to the Green Bay Packers, then under half in the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, a dramatic shift for a player who posted four straight 100 tackle seasons and signed an extension in 2023.
Bengals team captain LB Logan Wilson has requested a trade, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/3OFm9P8vbR
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 23, 2025
Why Logan Wilson’s role changed in Cincinnati
Head coach Zac Taylor has doubled down on the youth movement at linebacker, praising Carter’s ceiling while noting Wilson’s professionalism and leadership. The depth chart pivot comes as Cincinnati leans on speed and range to stabilize a run defense that has sagged.
Wilson’s request forces a bigger question for the front office. Moving a captain with two more seasons on his deal creates a leadership hole, but keeping him tethered to a reduced role risks losing asset value before the Nov. 4 deadline.
"I can look back at this time of adversity and be able to tell my kids how to work through adversity like this."
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) October 14, 2025
The Bengals are starting rookie Barrett Carter at LB, over veteran Logan Wilson.
Logan said he put his arm around Carter & said:
"There's gonna be no hard feelings… pic.twitter.com/pA7g7Op9UB
Potential landing spots if the Bengals engage
Contenders with second level needs will circle. The Dallas Cowboys have been urged publicly to add help inside.
The San Francisco 49ers could use experience after injuries at linebacker. The Indianapolis Colts also make sense schematically given defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s history with Wilson in Cincinnati.
Photo Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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