It's really awesome and all that the Cincinnati Bengals made so many improvements to their defensive line. Even adding Bryan Cook to the secondary is a big boon for the back end, which suffered the wrath of Geno Stone's dreadful performance in recent years.
All those good vibes aside, including the imposing presence of Dexter Lawrence, the offseason goodwill won't mean much if second-year Cincinnati linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter don't step up. They were Stone levels of bad as rookies. A significant Year 2 leap for either would mean they're replacement-level starters.
I'd take that outcome and run to the bank. That said, the Knight-Carter tandem's collective confidence could be shaken in Week 1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be the visitors at Paycor Stadium, yet they present a total matchup nightmare.
Cincinnati could be devastated by Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. in coverage vs. Bucs
Much of the fanfare surrounding this game's incoming storylines will be about Baker Mayfield's shiny new contract. And what's that cliché? A quarterback's best friend is a great running game? Or words to that effect?
Well, here's the second-best thing: Having two absolutely electric pass-catchers out of the backfield. The Bucs have exactly that between Bucky Irving and new addition Kenny Gainwell (I knew him as Kenneth for the longest time, what happened?).
Playing for Cincinnati's AFC North rival Steelers last season, Gainwell ran for 537 yards and five TDs on top of 73 receptions for 486 yards and three more scores. Irving was banged up for much of 2025, but he still has 77 catches in 27 regular-season games to date. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a rookie two seasons ago. The dude is a beast with the ball in his hands.
Gainwell and Irving will put the Bengals' reigning league-worst run defense to the test on the ground. They may do their most damage to Cincinnati by straight-up working Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter in coverage.
We'll find out real quick (read: Week 1) if the Bengals' linebackers have indeed made progress
I'm all for talking a big game and backing it up. Look no further than Joe Burrow. That's been his M.O. as much as ever this offseason.
But when it comes to Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, it's less about what either of them have said, and more about the actions of the Bengals' front office. The coaching staff clearly vouches for them enough to not bring in any linebackers of note, save for surprise waiver wire pickup Swayze Bozeman, who made the 53-man roster.
OK you know what? Let's look at what Cincinnati linebackers coach Mike Hodges had to say about Knight in a recent piece by Bengals beat vet Charlie Goldsmith:
“His consistency in recognizing plays, he’s ahead of it...Be it that the scheme has calmed down for him and/or another year under his belt, those two things combined has allowed him play faster. Now, we’re able to see the speed and the athleticism that we drafted him in the second round for on display more consistently. We saw flashes of it last year. Now, it’s been more consistent."
Knight better be quick. Carter was drafted for his leadership intangibles as opposed to the top physical tools of Knight's that Hodges referred to. Otherwise, Carter wouldn't have fallen to the fourth round of the draft.
If Carter can just keep the defense on schedule as the man in charge of the calls, and Knight can actually capitalize on his athleticism to play decent football, the Bengals should be in good shape in the bigger picture of this season and beyond.
...Am I confident the Knight-Carter duo will be ready to rock and lock down Gainwell and Irving as soon as this Sunday? No. No I am not. Not in the slightest.
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