Steelers Now
The Cincinnati Bengals are moving on from one of their key defenders from the past five years.
The Cincinnati Bengals struggling defense just got a bit more shorthanded as they decided to trade away one of their team captains.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Bengals are trading veteran linebacker Logan Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
Trade: The #Bengals are dealing standout LB Logan Wilson to the #Cowboys, sources say, providing immediate defensive help.
Wilson requested a trade amid a recent decrease in snaps, with Barrett Carter taking over. pic.twitter.com/I1haELExQe
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 4, 2025
Wilson, 29, requested to be traded last month after seeing a significant decrease in snaps. In Week 6, he played just 19.7% of the defensive snaps in Cincinnati’s 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Then in Week 7, he saw a slight increase to 47.5% of the snaps.
However, that is nowhere close to the amount of playing time Wilson seemed to think he deserved as a team captain and long-time veteran of the team.
The Bengals selected Wilson in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft and he quickly established himself as a starter, posting four straight seasons (2021-24) with at least 100 tackles. He has also recorded 5.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 25 passes defensed and 11 interceptions since entering the league.
Cincinnati seems to believe Wilson has taken a step back amid its 3-6 start to the season, though. The additions of rookies Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. in the 2025 NFL Draft didn’t help Wilson’s future case with the team, either.
Wilson is now one less player for the Pittsburgh Steelers to worry about when they face the Bengals again in Week 11. The Steelers will certainly hope that Wilson’s absence will only help their chances of getting their revenge after being upset by Cincinnati 33-31 in Week 7.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Bengals Trade Away Team Captain to Cowboys
