The Cincinnati Bengals needed their linebackers to step up in 2021 and boy, did they ever! The hope is that the unit continues to improve in 2022 and beyond.
People weren’t sure what to think of the Cincinnati Bengals’ linebackers a year ago but they stepped up and proved they could help this defense be the best it could be.
Logan Wilson looks like a bonafide star and Germaine Pratt had a nice bounceback season. The backups and third-stringers even stepped up and made their presence felt when the starters had to miss time for whatever reason.
Maybe the Bengals add a linebacker in this draft and if they do, it’ll only help this group grow and be one of the better units in the league.
So, with all of that said, let’s check out the linebacker depth chart as the draft is just days away.
Starters: Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt
Wilson, a third-round pick out of Wyoming in 2020, gave us a promising season as a rookie. The only issue was the injury he sustained that forced him to miss four games.
In year two, Wilson continued to show superstar potential at linebacker, totaling 100 tackles, four interceptions, and one sack through 13 games. He did, once again, miss four games due to injury, but Wilson was back in time for the playoffs and made a huge impact, grabbing the interception in the AFC Divisional Round that helped the Bengals win on an Evan McPherson field goal.
Pratt was also a third-round pick but was in the 2019 draft class. He’s upped his total tackles in each of his three professional seasons and put together his best year yet in 2021.