Jerry Jones sure knows how to entertain at the NFL trade deadline.
The Dallas Cowboys owner initially turned heads Monday with his claim that he had completed a deal that he would not reveal until Tuesday. Then, after a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on ‘Monday Night Football,’ he cast some doubt on whether the swap would actually materialize.
Early on Tuesday, however, the Cowboys finally agreed to terms to acquire linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick.
The exchange represented two embattled defenses moving in opposite directions. For the Bengals, the move represented a full embrace of the youth movement at the position. For the Cowboys and Jones, it might be a last gasp at bolstering a thoroughly maligned unit.
Here’s how each team graded out in the trade:
Cowboys trade grade: C-
It’s not quite the equivalent of a defensive version of the Jonathan Mingo trade, but this seems like an awfully big kerfuffle for a so-so return.
Yes, Jones gets a proven entity and team captain who just a year ago was a formidable presence against the run. A hard-nosed and savvy approach on that front no doubt endeared Wilson to Jones, especially amid the defense continuing to be gashed in the ground game. But it was clear before his benching that the 29-year-old had fallen off, whether it was getting to plays a step later or whiffing on tackles more often once he was in position to do something.
Most of all, it’s difficult to see how this move does much to transform a unit that has so far to go before it can offer up any kind of consistent resistance under coordinator Matt Eberflus. The post-Micah Parsons pass rush isn’t where it should be, and Wilson’s blitzing skills won’t significantly shift the outlook there. The coverage problems extend well beyond one player, and that’s far from Wilson’s strong suit at this point in his career.
Maybe the veteran adds a degree of stability to a unit that’s been far too shaky while leaning on Kenneth Murray. But the eventual return of DeMarvion Overshown seems like the change that’s actually going to make a difference here.
When he first teased a move Monday, Jones said he could also complete a couple more. If Dallas truly intends on competing at 3-5-1, he’ll probably need to figure out a way to get those done. Then again, this defense is probably beyond saving at midseason.
Bengals trade grade: C
Can’t fault Cincinnati for trying something different amid its defense’s historically woeful run. At the same time, though, it’s hard to square exactly what this does for the Bengals in both the short and long term.
One thing is clear: It’s now up to Barrett Carter, who bumped Wilson from his starting role, and fellow rookie Demetrius Knight Jr. to lead the second level of this unit given that there’s no support coming from anywhere else.
“I see a very high ceiling in Barrett,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said last month. “I see qualities in him I wanted to see more of. The only way to do that is expand the role.”
It’s one thing to clear a path to playing time for the fourth-round pick. But Wilson was still the most reliable presence for a linebacker group that has been badly out of sorts, with the Chicago Bears’ 283-yard rushing effort against the Bengals on Sunday marking a new low.
Taylor had previously said that Wilson handled his demotion ‘really well” and had ‘done a great job with the young linebackers.’ What, then, is the upside to a split that netted a seventh-round draft pick? Unless the Bengals are also preparing to deal Trey Hendrickson and look ahead to 2026, not much is truly gained here.
A third-round pick in 2020, Wilson helped fuel the Bengals’ emergence alongside his more heralded offensive teammates. As Cincinnati tries to build up on defense, it’ll need to find more mid-round his like him in the near future.