The Cincinnati Bengals spent the offseason retooling a defense that allowed too many games to get away last season.
One position still lacks the same level of outside respect.
No Bengals player appeared in ESPN’s ranking of the NFL’s top 10 off-ball linebackers for 2026.
Cincinnati also failed to place anyone among the honorable mentions or additional players receiving votes in the survey of league executives, coaches and scouts.
The omission offers a snapshot rather than a prediction, reinforcing the pressure on Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. to make legitimate second-year jumps after difficult rookie seasons.
Cincinnati finished 6-11 and surrendered 492 points in 2025, the third-most in the NFL.
Bengals’ Young Linebackers Face Uncomfortable PFF Numbers
Carter and Knight produced enough traditional statistics to show why Cincinnati remains willing to develop them.
Carter moved into the starting lineup early in the season and started the final 12 games. The Bengals credited him with 102 defensive tackles, four passes defensed and one interception, while noting that he finished third among all rookies in tackles.
Knight recorded 55 solo tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He also delivered his strongest performance late in the year, earning an 80.7 PFF grade against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 after failing to top 62.6 in any previous game.
ws/nfl-week-17-rookie-team-of-the-weekThe full-season evaluation was far less encouraging.
PFF ranked Cincinnati’s linebacker group last in the NFL with a 34.4 overall grade. Demetrius Knight Jr. finished with a 40.2 grade, ranking 83rd among 88 qualified linebackers, while Barrett Carter’s 39.5 ranked 85th.
PFF also reported that both players missed at least 14.8% of their tackle attempts and allowed no lower than a 115.3 passer rating when targeted.
The top of the ranking featured linebackers trusted to diagnose plays, cover space and stabilize the middle of a defense.
Cincinnati’s starters still have to prove they can provide those qualities consistently.
Cincinnati Is Betting on Development Over Another Overhaul
The Bengals made their choice at linebacker during last season.
They turned the defense over to Carter and Knight in October before trading Logan Wilson at the deadline. Carter also took over the green-dot helmet as the defensive play caller, giving a fourth-round rookie responsibility for organizing the unit.
Cincinnati has stayed with that direction. Its current depth chart keeps both second-year players atop their respective positions, leaving them in line to retain their starting jobs entering training camp.
Better play up front can keep blockers away from Carter and Knight and provide cleaner opportunities to pursue the football, but both players still must improve their tackling and coverage.
The ESPN omission creates a fair picture of the position entering camp.
Cincinnati can set a more realistic goal than immediate stardom, with one of its young linebackers emerging as a dependable three-down player capable of controlling communication and limiting mistakes.
Carter’s tackle production and Knight’s late-season flashes provide reasons for patience, and their PFF grades show why that patience must lead to measurable progress.
The Bengals have improved the talent surrounding their young linebackers.
The next step has to come from the players already positioned in the middle of the defense.
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