Bengals Training Camp Preview: LB
Players:
55. Logan Wilson
42. Oren Burks
44. Demetrius Knight
49. Barrett Carter
50. Shaka Heyward
45. Maema Njongmeta
53. Joe Giles-Harris
59. Craig Young
The LB unit will look quite different for the Bengals this season. Early on in free agency, Akeem Davis-Gaither was lost to the Arizona Cardinals, while Oren Burkes was a new face added in. As well, after waiting for much of the offseason, the Bengals did end up cutting bait with Germaine Pratt, who had been one of the team’s core players on defence. It was clear that they weren’t happy with how things went last season, and the coaching staff will be hoping that a revamped unit can help things trend back in the right direction.
Some of last season’s struggles were further enhanced by Wilson having a down season, by his standards. He wasn’t awful, or the main issue, but he was battling through some injuries that prevented him from being at his best. Now, with an offseason to back on track, Wilson will look to be a main part of the team’s success once again. His starting spot is unquestioned, and he will be wearing the headset and relaying the calls on defence.
Lou Anarumo preferred rolling out 2 LB’s instead of 3, with an extra member of the secondary usually taking the field instead. We’ll see if that changes under Al Golden.
If they are in a base 4-3, at this point, I’d expect Burks and Knight to be the LB’s playing alongside Wilson. In sets that require only 2 LB’s, it will be interesting to see who is higher on the depth chart. The coaching staff is very high on Knight, after drafting him in the 2nd round. However, Burks is coming off a good season with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Given that the Bengals are expected to give their starters more of a run in the preseason, we may actually get to see a battle here that extends beyond just training camp.
If both Burks and Knight get extended playing time, we could see Carter be the Akeem Davis-Gaither replacement—a guy who excels on special teams and can Finn in on defence, when needed. His mental game needs some development, but he is someone that has a good bit of upside, and can be a starter down the road. For right now, though, I’m predicting that he is first off the bench.
The conversation above about having a base defence with 2 or 3 LB’s could also impact how the back-end portion of the position group is constructed. With 2 LB’s playing on most snaps, keeping only 5 on the roster made sense, as it allowed them to go heavier at another position. But if they end up having 3 on the field for most plays, they may decide to go heavier at LB and keep 6.
I’d figure that the battle for the last spot or two would come down to Heyward, Njongmeta, and Giles-Harris, with the first two ahead of the latter.
Heyward definitely has the most upside of the three of them. The athleticism and size is there for him to be a do it all player. In his opportunities later last season, he did well on special teams, and had a few flashes. But Njongmeta made the team out of camp last year. He doesn’t have the athletic upside of Heyward, but is a tough tackler in the middle, is instinctive, and also does well on special teams. This will be an interesting battle between two players who kind of play a different style.
Giles-Harris is a veteran of the league, with 30 tackles and a sack to his name. He has bounced around the league, and spent about a week on the Bengals practice squad last season before being plucked away by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now back for a second stint, he will look to use his experience to help him out. His ability on special teams should also allow him to make the roster battle a competitive one.
Young rounds out the unit. The 2024 UDFA joined the Bengals practice squad on December 24, and they decided to keep him around, signing him to a futures deal after the season. He’ll be in for a tough go, as it pertains to the roster battles. Young will have a chance to make the practice squad, but also faces competition for that. If the Bengals only keep 5 LB’s on the roster, they could keep 2 on the practice squad. Right now, however, it is hard to see him beating out the loser(s) of the Heyward/Njongmeta/Giles-Harris battle. But a strong showing can change things quickly, as we have seen before.
