As the Bengals prep for Week 15 against Baltimore, the conversation inevitably shifts toward the middle of their defense and the two rookies who have been thrust into outsized roles: Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter.
While both linebackers arrived with clear athletic upside -- Knight from South Carolina and Carter from Clemson -- questions remain towards the immediate future for both players despite the Bengals investing real capital in the duo.
The challenge now is that “eventually” has arrived far earlier than initially projected, and their performance this week could determine whether Cincinnati can repeat its formula from the first meeting.
Barrett Carter & Demetrius Knight Jr. loom large for Bengals defense in Week 15 & well into the future
When these same clubs met just a few weeks ago, the Bengals stunned Baltimore 32–14 on the road, flustering Lamar Jackson and generating enough disruptive plays to tilt the game script in their favor. Yet buried in that dominant win was a looming concern that has persisted throughout the year: Baltimore’s tight ends carved up space in the middle of the field.
Isaiah Likely led the Ravens with five catches for 95 yards, repeatedly finding voids behind Cincinnati’s second level. And with Mark Andrews also in the mix, it's a dynamic tight end room that thrives on stressing linebackers horizontally, vertically, and in space.
That makes this a defining week for Knight and Carter. Their athleticism is why they were drafted -- both can scrape and chase, and both can match up in space better than most of the LBs that declared in last years draft class. But, athletic ability alone isn't enough at the NFL level.
In the finer details of the position, they have to gain the correct depth on their drops, understand route progressions, and play with enough patience to handle Baltimore’s layered middle-of-field concepts. Both Andrews and Likely excel at manipulating linebacker leverage, and this is the type of game that will demand discipline and clean transitions from the rookies.
Just as important is their role in limiting Baltimore’s run game. Derrick Henry’s power and Lamar Jackson’s electric ability in the fringe areas stress linebackers in completely different ways, requiring Knight and Carter to trigger decisively, take efficient angles, and finish plays both inside and outside the tackles. Baltimore is in must-win mode the rest of the way, and by limiting their two best offensive playmakers, Cincinnati has more than just a shot.
The Bengals drafted Knight and Carter for moments like this week -- high-leverage divisional football where speed, instincts, and resilience matter. They are still growing, still learning, still imperfect. But if Cincinnati is to sweep the Ravens and earn some sort of moral victory in what has been an ugly campaign, the rookie tandem in the middle will have to meet the moment.