Bengals Depth Chart Preview: Al Golden's reformed linebacker room has the same trusted leader from years ago
The new defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, Al Golden, used to be the team's linebackers coach. It's no coincidence the position group he once oversaw received a facelift this offseason. Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither, two foundational pieces from the 2021 Super Bowl team, are out the door. Two rookies from the first four rounds of […]
The new defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, Al Golden, used to be the team's linebackers coach. It's no coincidence the position group he once oversaw received a facelift this offseason.
Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither, two foundational pieces from the 2021 Super Bowl team, are out the door. Two rookies from the first four rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft and a recent Super Bowl champion were brought in to replace them. All of them will follow the lead of the unquestioned leader of the room who's been here since the start of the decade.
The next installment of our Bengals depth chart preview series takes a look at what Golden's new-look linebacker group.
Bengals Linebacker Depth Chart
- Logan Wilson
- Demetrius Knight Jr.
- Oren Burks
- Barrett Carter
- Maema Njongmeta
- Shaka Heyward
- Joe Giles-Harris
- Craig Young
The starters: Wilson, Knight. Wilson enters his sixth year in Cincinnati and fifth year as a starter. He's coming off a knee injury that cut his 2024 season short, but nothing's changed for him other than the guy next to him. Knight, Cincinnati's second-round pick, was drafted to start next to Wilson and directly replace Pratt on the roster. The defense will have schematic differences compared to former DC Lou Anarumo's vision, but the base will still involve just two linebackers on the field for the majority of the time. Wilson and Knight will be the two you'll see on the field the most.
First off the bench: Burks. If Knight is replacing Pratt, then Burks is the Davis-Gaither replacement. He just helped the Philadelphia Eagles dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, and signed a two-year, $5 million deal with the Bengals a month later. He also has oodles of special teams experience, which was lost when Davis-Gaither left in free agency. He's the best candidate to fill in for either Wilson or Knight in case of injury.
The rest: Carter was the club's fourth-round pick and was rated considerably higher on their board. He's got an outside shot at elevating over Burks during the preseason. Njongmeta was an undrafted free agent last year who spent his entire rookie season on the active roster, contributing more special teams snaps than anyone else on the team. Heyward, the cousin of Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro Cam Heyward, is a UDFA from 2023 who played in six games last year after spending most of the season on the practice squad. Giles-Harris and Young both had extremely brief Bengals practice squad stints last year and are back.
Who will make the 53-man roster: Wilson, Knight Jr., Burks, Carter, Njongmeta. There may be an uptick in how many 4-3 packages Golden deploys, which requires three linebackers, but five still feels like a more accurate prediction considering depth that's needed elsewhere. The top four are locks, leaving a four-way battle for the last spot. Njongmeta beat out Heyward last year and proved useful on special teams, so he gets the edge for now.
Practice squad prediction: Heyward. The best of the rest is still likely Heyward a safe bet for one of players who's been here since before the Super Bowl to stay around, but this spot (or spots?) could go in any direction.
Previous Position Depth Chart Previews
- (7/6) Quarterback
- (7/7) Running back
- (7/8) Wide receiver
- (7/9) Tight end
- (7/10) Offensive tackle
- (7/11) Guard
- (7/12) Center
- (7/15) Safety
- (7/16) Cornerback
Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Logan Wilson’s time has come as Cincinnati’s true defensive leader
Wilson will be relied on much more as a leader this year.
