Dallas Cowboys strike deal for starting linebacker ahead of NFL trade deadline
Ahead of the NFL trade deadline at 3 p.m. CST Tuesday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys have finalized a deal to acquire Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick, a team source confirmed to the Star-Telegram after an ESPN report.
Wilson, 29, requested a trade from the Bengals after he began losing playing time to rookie Barrett Carter. Since being selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Wyoming, Wilson has accounted for 541 tackles, 25 pass deflections and 11 interceptions for a defense that has similarly struggled to find an identity as of late. Wilson will now head to a defense that has had a lot of the same issues in 2025.
After Cowboys owner Jerry Jones teased that he had made a trade before Monday night’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals and then walked back some of the comments postgame, it is now clear that the Cowboys were working on acquiring Wilson.
Nicknamed “The Cowboy” because of his days playing at Wyoming, Wilson now has an opportunity to immediately compete for playing time with veteran Kenneth Murray Jr., who has graded out as the worst linebacker in the NFL through nine games, according to Pro Football Focus. As the Bengals honor Wilson’s trade request, he will now move from the league’s 32nd-ranked defense through nine weeks to the league’s 31st-ranked defense.
Jones also mentioned on Monday that the team is working on two additional deals, as the Cowboys search for answers on the defensive side of the ball after yet another disappointing result Monday night.
The Cowboys then completed a blockbuster deal Tuesday afternoon to add New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
The Cowboys will take on the remaining $2.68 million on Wilson’s 2025 salary, along with $6.55 million in 2026 and $7.2 million in 2027. The Bengals will take on a dead cap hit of nearly $9 million over the next two seasons.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 7:59 AM.
