The Bengals will be without their top linebacker for a while due to a familiar issue. Logan Wilson will be shut down after reinjuring his surgically repaired shoulder, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
Wilson left the Bengals’ Week 6 game against the Saints, and while Fowler adds it is not believed to be as serious as the shoulder malady that required offseason surgery, a two- to five-week absence is the estimation for Wilson’s latest recovery timetable. Zac Taylor has called the third-year defender “week to week,” pointing to the Bengals keeping the former third-round pick on their active roster rather than sending him to IR.
Last season, this injury caused Wilson to miss three games. He ended up sitting in four of Cincinnati’s final five regular-season contests, though Week 18 involved most Bengals starters resting anyway. Wilson returned and played every defensive snap during the team’s four playoff games.
Wilson, 26, stood out in that postseason, making 26 tackles (four for loss), deflecting three passes and intercepting Ryan Tannehill in the Bengals’ divisional-round upset. The Wyoming product has been a full-time starter for the past two seasons and has played a major role in Cincinnati’s defense elevating to a respectable level during that span. The Bengals ranked 18th in total defense last season; they have made another jump, to 10th, this year. Wilson has tallied 37 tackles, two pass deflections and an interception in six games.
Although the Bengals’ Joe Burrow–Ja’Marr Chase connection powered the team to a road win, the Saints rushed for 228 yards. The Bengals will now be without Wilson and nose tackle D.J. Reader for the foreseeable future. Akeem Davis-Gaither, a 2020 fourth-round pick, stands to see more action as a result of Wilson’s injury.
That’s unfortunate. Wilson flew under the radar as a strong coverage linebacker in Cincy. They’ll certainly miss him on passing downs, and he can play the run very well too. The Bengals will most in coverage, though, and not just because he has great hands. Markus Bailey is more of pass rusher as a backup, and to me doesn’t even fit Cincy’s defense at that position, and I doubt that he’ll play the same position as Wilson. Maybe Daxton Hill will be used more as a nickel backer hybrid to compensate while also feeding him more snaps.