Logan Wilson trade grades: Cowboys make fleeting effort to help defense; Bengals fulfill LB’s trade request

is on the board. Naturally, it was Jerry Jones who got the party started, striking a deal with the

. Jones, Dallas’ owner and general manager, revealed on Monday that his club had a deal in the works, but kept his cards close to the vest for the most part. Now, that deal has since been revealed, with Wilson heading to AT&T Stadium as Cincinnati lands a Day 3 pick in 2026.

While the Bengals have arguably the worst defense in the

, Wilson being moved shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. The linebacker had previously requested a trade out of Cincinnati after he saw his role decrease in 2025. Still, it is a rather seismic move for the Bengals as Wilson, a team captain, had been a key figure at linebacker, including during the team’s run to

LVI during the 2022 season. For Dallas, this is a move in hopes that it’ll help turn the tide of what has been a poor first half of the season on defense, which includes allowing the Jacoby Brissett-led

With this trade in the books, let’s examine it even further and hand out our grades to see which club came out on top.

The Dallas defense is in a bad way. Coming out of Week 9, the club is allowing 6.1 yards per play (third-highest in the NFL), 7.7 yards per pass attempt (third-highest), and 30.8 points per game (second-highest). That 30.8 points per game total is the most alarming, as no team in NFL history has made the playoffs allowing 30 or more per game, so Jerry Jones needed to make a move to improve the unit.

While it may feel like a last-ditch effort with the club sitting at 3-5-1 on the year, Wilson does have the potential to help them pressure the quarterback. The veteran linebacker has the third-highest pass-rushing grade among linebackers this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Giving yourself a puncher’s chance to improve on defense and with hopes of pushing back into the playoff conversation is certainly worth giving up a 2026 seventh-rounder.

Read the full article at: CBS Sports