Former Wyoming star Logan Wilson prepares to make big impact as Bengals rookie
CINCINNATI (BVM) 鈥� Drafting Heisman Trophy-winning LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick has unquestionably been the biggest boon for the Cincinnati Bengals this year. But the defense also sorely needed to be addressed for a team that went 2-14 and finished near the bottom of the NFL in most defensive categories last season.
That鈥檚 where former University of Wyoming standout Logan Wilson comes in.聽
The All-American linebacker was perhaps the biggest addition the Bengals made to their defense during the offseason when they selected him with the first pick in the third round of the draft. Wilson is projected by ESPN to be the Bengals鈥� starting strongside linebacker for the 2020 season.
But the Natrona High School (Casper, Wyo.) grad is still only a rookie in a league full of players who were all stars on college teams, and like all first-year NFL players, he鈥檚 making a big transition from college to the pros. Learning an entirely new defense is one of the biggest changes Wilson had to face in his first NFL training camp.
鈥淚n college I think things are a little bit less complex so guys can fly around and play football whereas in the NFL it鈥檚 your job,鈥� Wilson said in an 鈥淪o (the defense) can be more complex and there鈥檚 going to be more nuances to learn.鈥�Wilson said the speed of the NFL game and the overall level of talent on the field has also required some significant adjustment.
鈥淟inemen come off the ball a little faster than they do in college,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a bad football player on the field by any means. That鈥檚 just the nature of the NFL. Everyone is good at this and it鈥檚 just going to take some getting used to for sure.鈥�
In college, Wilson became one of the best linebackers in the nation after redshirting his freshman year at Wyoming. He started every game he played for the Cowboys 鈥� 52 consecutive from the first game of his redshirt freshman season to the last game of his senior season. Wilson finished with 421 career tackles, which are the fourth-most in the history of the Mountain West Conference.
In Cincinnati, Wilson will be counted on right away to make a big impact for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo鈥檚 unit. The Bengals were consistently run over last season to the tune of 2,382 rushing yards 鈥� the most any team allowed 鈥� under first-year head coach Zac Taylor. The 6,299 total yards the Bengals gave up were the fourth-most in the NFL. Wilson figures to play a big role in defending both the run and the pass. He had four interceptions in his senior season with the Cowboys and 10 over the course of his college career. But Wilson wants to become a better defender in the NFL, particularly in man-to-man coverage.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just something I didn鈥檛 do very much at Wyoming and something that I need to continue to get better at here and reach a level of consistency in it,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot easier said than done. We鈥檝e got some really good backs here to go against in practice and there鈥檚 a lot of good backs in this league in general.鈥�
As part of their defensive overhaul this past offseason, the Bengals added several new linebackers aside from Wilson, with 10-year veteran Josh Bynes being the most experienced of the group. Bynes鈥� presence has been particularly valuable for Wilson.
鈥淗e鈥檚 like a walking football library,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the smartest player I鈥檝e been around. He knows so much football. There鈥檚 a reason why he鈥檚 been in the league for so long. He鈥檚 played with a lot of guys in a lot of systems and learned a lot of football. I鈥檓 just going to piggyback off of him and try and learn as much as I can because he鈥檚 about as smart as they come.鈥�
Time will tell how quickly Wilson learns the ropes of the NFL, but he won鈥檛 have much time to get his feet wet like rookies usually do. Unlike most NFL seasons, there are no preseason games this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But Wilson isn鈥檛 letting that affect how he prepares for the big role he鈥檚 likely to play in the Bengals鈥� defense in his first year as a pro.
鈥淥ne of my big things that I try to do is just control what I can and that鈥檚 something that鈥檚 been out of my control,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淭hat was what the NFL and the NFLPA came to was no preseason games and so I鈥檓 just trying to get better each and every day and that鈥檚 kind of my mindset as I鈥檝e gone through training camp.鈥�
