The Cincinnati Bengals aren't shy about making bold moves. Only problem is, the logic is often dubious at best, or their transactions must entail such trivial, nothing-burger compensation.
Take the Logan Wilson trade for instance. Cincinnati had elected him captain for the first time in his six-year career, only to turn around and hand his starting job to a fourth-round rookie. Wilson was the superior option. Now he's in a Dallas Cowboys uniform in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was the first time the previously demoted Wilson was off the Bengals' roster for good. And it didn't take long to feel his absence.
Logan Wilson's replacement Barrett Carter gets destroyed on Steelers' opening-drive TD in Week 11
Not that it's a surprise to see Barrett Carter get absolutely cooked by Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell on a swing pass-and-run to the end zone from Aaron Rodgers. It's just that Logan Wilson could've, in all likelihood, fared so much better.
Catch & run for six 🙌 @KENNETHGAINWEL
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 16, 2025
📺 #CINvsPIT on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/qJEFJh7R7t
What kind of pursuit angle is that? Dear lord!
This is the turd sandwich of a defense us Bengals fans are subjected to every week. The bye predictably did little to solve the team's lingering issues on that side of the ball.
It's so bad that when Joe Flacco answered with a 28-yard TD pass to Tee Higgins, head coach Zac Taylor felt compelled to go for two to earn an early edge in Pittsburgh. Chase Brown got stuffed on the ensuing run.
Rather than tying the game up, the Bengals trailed, because they have zero confidence in their defense. Nor should they.
But you know who'd make it a wee bit better? Logan Wilson! Barrett Carter is completely in over his head, looks slow in space, and has no business being on an NFL field as a starter. Nor does his draft classmate, Demetrius Knight Jr., as they form the league's worst linebacker tandem.
There are 88 qualified LBs graded this season by PFF.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) November 3, 2025
The Bengals rookie LBs have the bottom 2 spots.
Barrett Carter is 87th out of 88.
Demetrius Knight Jr. is 88th out of 88.
Spending two premium picks on non-premium positions to get this production is as bad as it gets.
It will elude my mental grasp and my grip on reality in general as to how the Bengals coaches watch practice every week and think this is acceptable. They have a playoff hero from the Eagles' reigning Super Bowl team in Oren Burks on the roster. They refuse to play him more.
Actually! Not so fast! Burks is finally playing more in Week 11 and wouldn't you know it? He has five tackles in a little over a quarter. Fancy that!
Nevertheless, my point stands that Carter is terrible in Wilson's stead. Letting Germaine Pratt and even Akeem Davis-Gaither flee this offseason, combined with the Wilson trade, combined with spending two of four top draft picks on off-ball linebackers, totally wrecked the position group.
Sure, rookie growing pains. Blah blah blah.
When will Duke Tobin answer for his criminally bad talent evaluation? How many times do I have to write about this on public record for anything to change?