The Cincinnati Bengals made a bold move this week, starting rookies at both linebacker positions and playing both for almost every snap in a 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Second-round selection Demetrius Knight has been starting all season long. He has had his ups and downs, but appears to be trending in the right direction. Knight leads the team in both total tackles (46) and solo tackles (27) for the season. This week, he was second on the team in total tackles with 7, including 4 solo tackles.
Who was first? It was fourth-round pick Barrett Carter, who had 10 total tackles and 7 solo tackles in his first career start. Carter also wore the green dot, meaning that he was the one with the radio in his helmet that put defensive coordinator Al Golden’s calls directly into his ear. He was the one who had to communicate the calls to the rest of the defense and get them lined up. This is a huge responsibility for a rookie making his first start, but Carter managed it admirably.
Linebacker is an extremely hard position to adjust to in the NFL. You have to get reps, and you will make a lot of mistakes early on. We saw this with Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson. They struggled early, but by the end of their rookie season, they were pretty good.
PFF has not been too kind to Knight or Carter this season, even when Knight has been at his best. I take exception to these grades. Both are playing like rookies and have made their mistakes, but they are not being appropriately graded.
Overall, I love the trajectory that these two are on. This could be the rookie class that finally resets and reloads the Bengals defense.
Now they just need to get Shemar Stewart back on the field.
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