The Cincinnati Bengals attacked obvious weaknesses on a defense that finished near the bottom of the NFL in 2025.
One position, however, was largely left alone.
That decision is drawing renewed scrutiny after ESPN’s Mike Clay ranked Cincinnati’s off-ball linebacker group No. 29 in the NFL entering the 2026 season. Only Pittsburgh, Arizona and Indianapolis checked in lower in Clay’s latest positional rankings.
Clay, though, ranked the Bengals 12th overall and third on offense.
Cincinnati’s defense came in 25th, with linebacker receiving one of the lowest marks on the roster.
The Bengals have made it clear they believe second-year linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter can make the necessary jump.
An early look at the position during training camp has suggested a thumbs-up rating, but the ranking displays a position that created big problems last season.
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GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – DECEMBER 14: Barrett Carter #49 and Demetrius Knight Jr. #44 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrate after a third quarter sack against the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Knight and Carter notched a bunch of tackles as rookies.
Knight finished with 106 tackles, seven passes defensed, three sacks and two interceptions in 17 games. Carter added 102 tackles, four passes defensed and an interception.
Their efficiency told a much less flattering story.
Pro Football Focus graded Knight at 40.3 overall in 2025, which ranked 83rd among 88 qualifying linebackers.
Carter’s 39.5 grade ranked 85th.
Veteran Oren Burks, who is behind Knight and Carter on Cincinnati’s depth chart, finished 88th among the same group, according to PFF.
That helps explain why linebacker has lingered as a debility on a roster Cincinnati otherwise spent intensely to improve.
The Bengals traded the No. 10 overall pick for Dexter Lawrence II, signed Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe and added more defensive talent through the draft. They didn’t make a comparable move at linebacker.
Director of player personnel Duke Tobin said after the draft that the upgrades up front were designed to help the young linebackers.
“Probably the best thing we did for our linebacker room is what we did for the D-Line room,” Tobin said, via Bengals.com.
A stronger defensive front should keep guards and centers from reaching the second level as often, giving Knight and Carter proper beelines to the football.
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GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – DECEMBER 14: Demetrius Knight Jr. #44 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates after sacking Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
There have already been signs the plan could work.
During training camp, Knight intercepted Joe Burrow after Carter forced a quick throw on a blitz. Knight later described the difference from his rookie camp by saying, “We’re reading the book the second time. The lightbulb is going on.”
Carter has also taken on a larger communication role in Al Golden’s defense.
Bengals.com named him its player of the day after an Aug. 4 practice in which he consistently played downhill against the run and handled the radio helmet used to relay defensive calls.
Those developments matter because Cincinnati appears prepared to enter the regular season with Knight and Carter as its primary tandem.
Burks is the most experienced backup, and the rest of the room is made up mostly of depth and special teams options.
The Bengals don’t need their young linebackers to become stars overnight.
They do need a sizable improvement from a group that graded near the bottom of the league in 2025 after Cincinnati addressed the defensive line and secondary.
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