2025 Review
The Bengals selected two linebackers in the 2025 NFL Draft: South Carolina's Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second round and Clemson's Barrett Carter in the fourth. Cincinnati relied on both rookies down the stretch of last season after trading veteran LB Logan Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys in early November.
Knight played in all 17 games last season with 14 starts, logging 106 total tackles, seven passes defensed, three sacks, one forced fumble and two interceptions. He was nominated twice for Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week in Weeks 1 and 15. Carter also played all 17 games and started 12, also finishing with 102 total tackles to go along with four passes defensed and one interception. Knight and Carter each ranked in the top 10 of defensive snaps played from 2025 rookies, per PFF, and finished second and third in total tackles among rookies.
Cincinnati signed Oren Burks during the 2025 offseason, and he started nine games, recording 48 tackles, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The veteran also had a steady role on special teams, playing 389 special teams snaps, per PFF, the ninth-most in the NFL.
Joe Giles-Harris was also signed in the offseason and was an ace special teams contributor: He posted the fifth-highest PFF special teams grade in the NFL (90.8) among players to record at least 25 special teams snaps. Shaka Heyward played in 12 games last season, while Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Liam Anderson spent most of the season on the practice squad.