Linebacker is undeniably a need for the Cincinnati Bengals. Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. are slated to be uncontested starters, and the depth behind both of them is lackluster.

No matter what the Bengals may say about Carter and Knight right now, the position group needs immediate help. Finding said help in the 2026 NFL Draft could be tricky.

Cincinnati struggled at LB last year because Carter and Knight were two rookies starting next to each other for most of the season. Their shared inexperience was a problem defensive coordinator Al Golden and Co. couldn’t solve on the fly.

Would adding a rookie to the mix truly give the Bengals the immediate assistance Carter and Knight need around them? The honest answer is no, but a draft pick being spent on the position sounds probable at this point.

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Zac Taylor sets the table for Bengals to draft another linebacker

Last year’s mess at the position raise legitimate concerns regarding another first-year LB being ready to contribute immediately. There’s an argument for the Bengals prioritizing other positions with their premium picks. Beyond that, the idea of an early pick shaking the confidence of both Carter and Knight is worth discussing.

Head coach Zac Taylor was specifically asked about that idea by The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.

“I don’t think so,” Taylor said Tuesday at the Annual League Meeting. “I don’t think that’d be harmful at all. I think that those guys are wired the right way. That’s why we added them into the room. That’s why we threw them in the fire so early, because we knew it wasn’t going to break them. If a game went poorly or a series went poorly, that’s not how they’re wired.”

In terms of coach speak, this translates to an expectation of a pick that matters being used at the position.

Drafting a LB is the easy part. Getting him to play well immediately is the challenging part. Knight was a second-round pick who took starter’s reps throughout the entire offseason program and training camp. Carter was a fourth-rounder and was right behind Knight, often being rotated onto the field often leading up to the season.

Another Day 2 pick like Knight could produce better results as a rookie, but recent evidence shows it’s a dangerous path to take for instant results.

Competency is what Cincy lacked in the second level of its defense, and whether newfound competency arrives via a rookie or a veteran, competency is the goal all the same. Taylor and the Bengals may believe the draft is the most likely source for an answer at this juncture.

It’s as good of an argument as to why a veteran should’ve been signed when the best options were available last month. Taylor alluded to LB being a priority during free agency, but plans had to change.

“It doesn’t mean that we don’t prioritize it. It just means, at the moment, the fit has been somewhere else, and so we’ve identified that and added to it,” Taylor said. “We are excited about our two young guys that played a lot of snaps for us last year, and the development they’re going to continue to see.”

Cincinnati has eight picks at its disposal. One of them is virtually guaranteed to be used on a LB, or else a veteran will get a call after the draft concludes. It’s the bed the Bengals made for themselves.

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