The Cincinnati Bengals entered the season with second-round rookie Demetrius Knight Jr. and veteran Logan Wilson locked in as their starting linebacker duo in Al Golden’s defense. But in Week 6, that plan suddenly changed. Wilson was effectively benched in favor of Barrett Carter, a fourth-round rookie out of Clemson.
Wilson technically started the game, but he played only 12 snaps compared to Carter’s 61. Even more telling, Carter wore the green-dot helmet—meaning he was the one relaying calls from the sideline, a responsibility that had always belonged to Wilson.
Benching a team captain is no small move, especially one who wasn’t playing poorly enough to warrant it. According to Fox19’s Charlie Goldsmith, coaches told Wilson that Carter was starting to provide a “spark” on defense—an explanation the veteran found puzzling.
“I don’t know exactly what [spark] means,” Wilson said. “When I asked if there was anything I could do to improve and be better, I wasn’t really given a great reason. That’s the hardest part about the whole situation. I’m not going to change who I am because of the cards I’ve been dealt.”
Wilson said he believes the move was made simply to see what the Bengals have in their athletic rookie. For now, he plans to be a good teammate and support both young linebackers.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden confirmed the decision wasn’t performance-based.
“It was a collective thought of, ‘Let’s give Barrett a try,’” Golden said. “We’ll see where we’re at with him and see if it brings a different energy. But that’s really it. It has nothing to do with Logan. It was just about giving Barrett an opportunity, and we’ll see how it unfolds moving forward.”
In five starts this season, Wilson earned a 56.9 overall PFF defensive grade (60.2 in run defense, 53.2 in coverage). Not elite, but far from disastrous. In his lone start next to Knight, Carter posted a 34.4 overall defensive grade (51.5 run defense, 39.0 coverage) and was charged with three missed tackles. Wilson has five missed tackles across the entire season.
According to Goldsmith, Wilson even pulled Carter aside to reassure him he had his full support.
“Whenever my career is done, I want to look back at this and be able to tell my kids how to get through adversity like this. That’s what I’ll be most proud of at the end of the day,” said Wilson.
Despite the leadership and production Wilson has brought to the team, the Bengals appear set to move forward with Knight and Carter as their starting linebackers. It’s a curious move considering Wilson is the sixth-highest-paid player on the roster, having signed a four-year, $36 million extension—with $14 million guaranteed—in August 2023.
As for what this means for his future in Cincinnati, that remains to be seen.
See More:
