Cowboys trade for LB Logan Wilson from Bengals

By Paul Dehner Jr., Dianna Russini and Ben Burrows

The Dallas Cowboys have made a trade deadline move, swinging a deal for Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2026, the team announced Tuesday.

Jerry Jones teased a move for an unnamed player before the Cowboys’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on “Monday Night Football.” Wilson, who has played his whole career in Cincinnati, requested a trade last month as his playing time has dwindled in recent weeks.

A defensive captain for the Bengals, Wilson joins a Cowboys defense that sorely needs help and is giving up more than 30 points per game. The 29-year-old was drafted by Cincinnati in the third round in 2020 and tallied 100-plus tackles in four straight seasons.

The Dallas defense has needed a linebacker upgrade as it waits on the return of DeMarvion Overshown, who is on track to come back following the Cowboys’ Week 10 bye after he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL last season.

Wilson was inactive for Sunday’s 47-42 defeat by the Chicago Bears having been added to the injury report earlier in the week with a calf injury. He was benched four games ago and relegated to a sub-package role behind rookies Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. before injuring his calf at the end of the New York Jets game.

For the Bengals, his exit can become an addition by subtraction from a leadership standpoint, expediting the process of allowing Carter and Knight to emerge as leaders. Of course, they’ve played terribly as players on one of the worst defenses in the history of the NFL, which is among the club’s dozens of problems. Injuries have depleted Cincinnati’s depth at the position, as backup Shaka Heyward went on injured reserve, Oren Burks played through groin injury last week and the club called up Joe Giles-Harris from the practice squad to fill out depth and also through waivers, adding Brian Asamoah II to the roster last week and he had to take special teams snaps against the Bears days after arriving.

The Bengals will still have to take on $5.9m in dead money this year and another $4 million in dead money next year from the extension Cincinnati signed Wilson to in 2023. Wilson was not in their plans so they would have been taking on the dead money hit anyway. This saves them $2.89M on this year’s cap while getting something in return. Adding the seventh-round pick helps offset the fifth-sixth round pick swap with Cleveland they gave up to acquire Joe Flacco last month.

Cincinnati now has a fourth, two sixth-rounders and two seventh-rounders in 2026.

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