Despite poor play from last year's rookies Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr., the Cincinnati Bengals left their linebacker depth chart curiously untouched this offseason. The organization is putting its faith in the second-season pros to take their lumps in stride.
Knight was a second-round pick, so it makes sense to see things through with him more so than Carter, a fourth-round selection out of Clemson. At least so far, Carter and Knight are saying all the right things and appear to have the trust of the coaching staff to make that Year 2 leap.
But was it a smart idea for Duke Tobin and Co. not to add anyone in free agency or the draft? There's still time to do so. Nevertheless, based on the buzz out of NFL minicamps, it sounds like Bengals passed up a draft diamond in the rough at the position.
Bengals might've missed out big time on Bills LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr
ESPN.com's beat writers gathered to post a list of one surprise player from each minicamp, and Buffalo Bills linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr made the cut. Here's what Alaina Getzenberg had to say about the TCU product:
"Elarms-Orr had an opportunity this offseason and took advantage of it. Linebacker Dorian Williams wasn't on the field during OTAs and minicamp due to an unspecified lower-body injury. With the increased snaps, Elarms-Orr made an impression in the battle for the open inside linebacker job next to Terrel Bernard. 'He's doing everything we're asking him right now,' defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said of Elarms-Orr in May."
Yours truly stumped for the Bengals to draft Elarms-Orr in the fifth round of the draft right before Day 3 kicked off. And named him as a Round 4 target in a piece prior to the draft.
So yeah, I was in on this fella. Elarms-Orr blazed a 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and had an excellent production profile, with a 130 combined tackles and four sacks in 2025. Oh, and by PFF's count, a 7.1% missed tackle rate and a 75.4 coverage grade.
For a Cincinnati linebacker corps that struggled in coverage, struggled to tackle, and struggled to fit the run a season ago, Elarms-Orr felt like a mighty useful guy to consider.
Alas, the Bills, who many believe (however misguidedly) have a better chance to win the Super Bowl than the Bengals, scooped him up in the fourth round with the 126th overall pick.
Not that I'm crestfallen about what Cincinnati did draft-wise. Auburn center Connor Lew felt like a steal two picks later. It's just that, the Bengals could've nabbed Elarms-Orr at No. 110, but they traded that choice to the New York Jets, who moved up for Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
We'll know a lot more once the pads go on in training camp. If the Bengals' linebacker corps struggles again in 2026 and Elarms-Orr is a productive starter in Buffalo, though, let's just say it ain't gonna be all sunshine and rainbows around Who Dey Nation!
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