The Cincinnati Bengals don’t figure to be hosting a major sale at the NFL trade deadline, not with the hope that Joe Burrow can return this year very much alive. It helps that Joe Flacco just took down the Steelers to keep the AFC North in reach, of course.
But that won’t stop onlookers from seeing that the Bengals benched linebacker Logan Wilson for a game and floating his name in trade suggestions.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler rank Wilson 11th on their NFL trade deadline rankings that list 25 names possibly on the move:
“Wilson is a three-down defender with the coverage instincts and range to impact the pass defense. He has 11 interceptions and 11 pass breakups over his career, plus he has averaged seven tackles per game during his five-plus seasons. Wilson would be an upgrade for multiple teams in the middle of the defense.”
RELATED: What win over Steelers means for Bengals after Joe Burrow injury news
The Bengals sat Wilson, who wasn’t too happy about it, a few weeks back. New defensive coordinator Al Golden has shoved a youth movement forward, especially at linebacker with Demetrius Knight and Barret Carter.
Wilson played 12 snaps in Week 6 while benched and getting special team reps. That only jumped back up to 26 (45 percent) in Week 7.
Whether another team would want to cough up a trade asset and inhale Wilson’s base salary of $6 million next year is very much debatable. But it’s hard to imagine the Bengals let him go before next offseason when a bigger defensive overhaul likely happens.
RELATED: Is Bengals QB Joe Burrow actually coming back this season?
