Cincinnati Bengals: What has happened to Logan Wilson, who was benched for Barrett Carter?

There was a time when Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson was one of the most dependable players on the team. When the Bengals gave him a second contract extension in the Summer of 2023, it was a good decision.

Now, however? His role keeps getting diminished.

At least it seems that way after how Week 6 played out in Cincinnati’s 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers, as he was benched in the second half in favor of fourth-round rookie Barrett Carter.

Wilson is now on kickoff coverage.

That’s not where you should be seeing a player like Wilson if he’s supposedly one of the cornerstones of the Bengals’ defense.

This is a player who had an outstanding 2021 season, intercepting four passes in the regular season and another pass in the Postseason that set up the Bengals’ game-winning drive in the Divisional round at Tennessee.

Then in 2022, Wilson knocked the ball out of Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley’s hands in the Wild Card round to set up Sam Hubbard’s memorable “Hubbard Yard Dash.”

Since then, it hasn’t been the same for the Bengals’ third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, going from a defensive stalwart and core member of the Bengals to just playing on kickoff coverage.

It remains to be seen what his future on the team looks like, but based on Zac Taylor’s postgame comments, it seems this change could remain going forward.

So for now, expect Carter, who has shown flashes as a rookie, to keep getting more snaps at linebacker, while Wilson remains on special teams.