The Logan Wilson trade is finally real.
The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring the Cincinnati Bengals’ team captain and linebacker for a 2026 seventh rounder, giving Dan Quinn a much needed steadying piece in the middle of a defense that has been springing leaks.
Wilson, 29, asked out last month after his role shrank in Cincinnati, and now he gets a reset during Dallas’ bye before a Week 11 date with the Las Vegas Raiders.
What the Cowboys get in the Logan Wilson trade
Dallas desperately needed a grown up at linebacker. The Cowboys rank near the bottom in yards and points allowed, they have been bullied on the ground, and they have been cycling through combinations next to Kenneth Murray Jr.
Wilson brings leadership and thousands of NFL snaps of traffic control. He posted four straight 100 tackle seasons from 2021 to 2024, is signed for two more years on a four year, 36 million dollar extension, and can wear the green dot if asked.
His time was over in Cincinnati, but Logan Wilson will be remembered for being a good player and playmaker. A critical member of their best teams.
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) November 4, 2025
🤠pic.twitter.com/xPzWtJHnU7
This is not a magic-wand move, and expectations should be normal. Wilson struggled this fall as Cincinnati’s usage dipped, but a defined role behind Dallas’ front could let him play downhill again.
The bye week matters here. He gets a full install and a ramp before seeing the Raiders, then a brutal run with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Los Angeles Chargers. If he settles the middle and cleans up run fits, Dallas’ playoff odds can at least stay alive.
Why the Bengals moved a captain for a late pick
The Cincinnati Bengals benched Wilson in Week 6 for rookie Barrett Carter and kept feeding snaps to Carter and fellow rookie Demetrius Knight Jr.
Wilson still had a voice in the room, but once the role shrank and a trade request surfaced, a clean break became the path. Flipping him for a seventh sounds light, yet it cements the plan to ride with the kids, live with mistakes, and reset the cap table at linebacker.
Bengals to trade LB Logan Wilson to Cowboys. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/90ykeVHDbT
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2025
Big picture for Cincinnati, this lines up with the rest of their choices. They drafted for speed, accepted short term pain on defense, and are letting Carter grow into a full time role.
It is a risk to lose your surest tackler during a rough defensive stretch, but it removes gray area. Carter and Knight are the guys now.
Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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