Story by
Chaotic Bengals and Logan Wilson deserve flak for latest trade saga
- Story by
- Chaotic Bengals and Logan Wilson deserve flak for latest trade saga
The Cincinnati Bengals and linebacker Logan Wilson share some collective blame here.
Wilson requested a trade from the Bengals this week in response to his diminishing role within the defense as coordinator Al Golden rolls with a youth movement.
Advertisement
Golden has been quick to yank anyone from the lineup regardless of status, with Wilson the prime example: He was a key part of the Super Bowl run, a core part of the locker room and has a Captain's C on his chest each week. The examples go on and on.
Before a possible Wilson trade, here's a zoomed-out look at the blame game.
Blame Al Golden for Logan Wilson trade request
Golden and the Bengals weren't shy this summer about their preference to go with young guys and focus on development of prospects. Linebacker was especially an emphasis when they drafted Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter , as well as signing Oren Burks .
Advertisement
Sure, we shouldn't have assumed Wilson was safe. But at the same time, it doesn't sound like Golden and the coaching staff threw out great justifications for benching Wilson on short notice.
And frankly, if Wilson was struggling so much with tackling and angles or has outright lost a step, how didn't the coaches notice it over the summer?
What's worse, the Bengals have a long line of big names requesting out of town lately. Jessie Bates , Tee Higgins , Trey Hendrickson , we could go all the way back to Carlos Dunlap and more. The franchise is doing something wrong if so many top guys consistently flirt with forcing their way out.
RELATED: What win over Steelers means for Bengals after Joe Burrow injury news
Advertisement
Blame Logan Wilson for trade saga, too
Wilson needs to play better, straight up. It's apparent on the eye test and across plenty of metrics, including his 58.6 PFF grade, ranking him 47th out of 77 in the NFL.
In the aftermath of his benching, Wilson was very critical of the whole ordeal , too, while also waxing poetic about still leading by example, trying to improve and so forth.
All of 10 days later, it turns out he's requested a trade out of town. He might be mentoring the rookie 'backers as best he can, but he's also a captain who publicly said he wanted to bounce back and has instead already asked to be shipped out. Either something dramatically changed behind the scenes or it's hard to align the public-facing interviews with his actions.
Advertisement
And again, this Bengals squad is all-in around Joe Flacco now while trying to save the season as Joe Burrow rehabs for a winter comeback. An established captain looking for a way out amid all that is, frankly, not a good look.
Logan Wilson trade verdict
Wilson won't return much via trade. He's going on 30 years old next summer, on a $36 million contract through 2027 and if he can't crack the lineup on a team suffering from droves of missed tackles, other teams aren't going to cough up much when he so publicly wants out.
But Wilson's playing time probably isn't going to jump, either. He played just 26 snaps last week, up from 12 after his benching and will likely remain a mainstay on special teams now.
Advertisement
The Bengals could've handled this thing better, but so could Wilson. It's a mess and, based on team and player, probably won't be a major distraction that gets worse, sure. But whether it's in a few weeks or next offseason, Wilson does seem on his way out the door.
RELATED: Is Bengals QB Joe Burrow actually coming back this season?
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Chaotic Bengals and Logan Wilson deserve flak for latest trade saga
