Longtime Cincinnati Bengals starting linebacker Logan Wilson is doing what he can to accept his new shift to a bench role.
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Wilson was convinced he deserved to remain a starting linebacker.
"I felt like I was," Wilson said, per Ben Baby of ESPN. "But obviously Zac [Taylor] felt otherwise."
Wilson's down season
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Wyoming product, now 29, has had an inconsistent start to the 2025 season. He's recorded 17 solo tackles and no sacks, forced fumbles or interceptions.
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After Cincinnati lost its fourth straight game last week — a 27-18 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers — head coach Zac Taylor made a switch, demoting Wilson in favor of rookie Barrett Carter, whom Taylor insisted will continue to start next to another rookie linebacker, Demetrius Knight Jr.
Wilson, who has enjoyed a starter role since his 2021 sophomore season, is certainly being compensated like one: his four-season, $36 million deal keeps him in Cincinnati until 2027.
"Anytime you put a rookie out there, there's an element of risk to it," Taylor said. "When are you going to expose yourself to that risk? Are you going to do it sooner rather than later?"
Taylor appears to be confident in his younger defensive cog, the No. 119 pick in the fourth round out of Clemson in this spring's draft.
"I just felt he's shown enough to [have us] continue to work through it. We're going to see constant improvement every single game," Taylor added.
The move seems to be paying quick dividends. The Bengals bested the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 33-31 "Thursday Night Football" win earlier this week.
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