Logan Wilson (born July 8, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wyoming and was selected by the Bengals in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Logan Wilson
refer to caption
Wilson with the Bengals in 2021
No. 55 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-07-08) July 8, 1996 (age 28)
Aberdeen, South Dakota, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:Natrona County (Casper)
College:Wyoming (2015–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 3 / pick: 65
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Total tackles:495
Sacks:5.5
Forced fumbles:6
Pass deflections:21
Interceptions:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Wilson grew up in Casper, Wyoming and attended Natrona County High School, where he played defensive back, wide receiver, placekicker and punter on the football team.[1] He was named first-team All-State as a placekicker as a sophomore and as a junior and at safety, wide receiver and punter as a junior.[2] As a senior, Wilson recorded six interceptions and five passes broken up on defense, 29 catches for 493 yards and seven touchdowns on offense and was again named first-team All-State at safety, wide receiver and punter and helped lead the Mustangs to a 12-0 record and a state title.[3][4] He committed to play college football at Wyoming with his only other scholarship offer being Weber State.[5]

College career

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Wilson redshirted his true freshman season. As a redshirt freshman, Wilson made 94 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks with seven passes defended, three interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries with one returned for a touchdown and was named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year.[6] Wilson posted 119 tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery with an interception and two passes defended in his redshirt sophomore season and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West.[7][8] He was again named honorable mention All-Mountain West as a redshirt junior after making 103 tackles with two sacks and 11 tackles for loss while breaking up four passes with two interceptions.[9] As a senior, Wilson made 105 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and a sack with four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 11 passes broken up and a forced fumble and was named first-team All-Mountain West and a second-team All-American by USA Today.[10][11] Wilson finished his collegiate career with 421 tackles (fourth-most in school history), 35 tackles for loss and seven sacks with 24 passes defended, ten interceptions, four forced fumbles, four fumbles recovered and three defensive touchdowns.[12]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+18 in
(1.88 m)
241 lb
(109 kg)
32+38 in
(0.82 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.63 s 1.60 s 2.70 s 4.27 s 7.07 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)
10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
21 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

2020

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Wilson was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 65th pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.[15] He made his debut in the opening game of 2020, recording two tackles as a reserve linebacker against the Los Angeles Chargers.[16] In Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Wilson recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Carson Wentz during the 23–23 tie game.[17] In Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans, Wilson recorded his first career sack on Ryan Tannehill during the 31–20 win.[18]

2021

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Wilson was named the starting middle linebacker for the Bengals heading into the 2021 season.[19] In Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, Wilson had his first interception of the season against Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields in a 20-17 loss at Soldier Field.[20] On September 26, 2021, Wilson intercepted Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice, along with a game-high 14 tackles in route to a 24-10 victory for the Bengals at Heinz Field in Week 3. Wilson finished the season with 4 interceptions, leading the team. In the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the top seeded Tennessee Titans, Wilson intercepted a tipped throw from Ryan Tannehill mid-field. This set up an eventual game-winning field goal by Evan McPherson, giving the Bengals their first road playoff win in franchise history, 19-16.[21]

2022

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Wilson began the season slow, with only 12 combined tackles in the first 2 games, but broke out for the first time in 2022 against the New York Jets in Week 3, recording 7 tackles, forcing one fumble and intercepting one pass, which he returned 41 yards.[22] Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, Wilson had his career best game, making 14 solo tackles, with an additional three assisted for a total of 17 combined tackles. He was also credited with 0.5 sacks in the game, splitting it with Vonn Bell.[23] The following week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wilson combined for 15 tackles and recorded his first sack of the season. At the conclusion of the regular season, Wilson led the team in tackles with 123.

In the Bengals' Wild Card playoff win over the Baltimore Ravens on January 15, 2023, he forced a fumble from Tyler Huntley on the Bengals' 1-yard line, which teammate Sam Hubbard recovered and returned 98 yards for a touchdown.[24] In turn, Wilson's effort helped this to become the record for the longest fumble return for a touchdown in the NFL postseason,[25] as well as being the longest go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter in the postseason, and the longest touchdown in Bengals playoff history.[26]

2023

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On August 4, 2023, Wilson signed a four-year contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals.[27]

On September 25, while facing the Los Angeles Rams, Wilson intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford twice.[28] This tied his previous career high of two interceptions in a single game from 2021. In Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson was credited with 0.5 sacks, splitting with B. J. Hill.[29] He made a crucial interception in the fourth quarter of the Bengals' Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, returning it for 16 yards setting up a go-ahead touchdown.[30] Wilson led the team in tackles for the third straight year with 135 combined tackles, his career best season.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sack FF FR Yds TD PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD
2020 CIN 12 2 33 23 10 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0.0 0 0
2021 CIN 13 13 100 57 43 1.0 1 0 0 0 4 4 31 17.5 18 0
2022 CIN 15 15 123 83 40 2.5 1 0 0 0 4 1 41 41.0 41 0
2023 CIN 17 17 135 78 57 1.0 2 0 0 0 9 4 42 10.5 26 0
Career 57 47 391 241 150 5.5 4 0 0 0 20 11 114 10.4 41 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sack FF FR Yds TD PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD
2021 CIN 4 4 39 26 13 0.0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0.0 0 0
2022 CIN 3 3 23 15 8 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
Career 7 7 62 41 21 0.0 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 0.0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Basirico, Samantha (September 19, 2019). "Casper native Logan Wilson is in his senior season for the Cowboys". WyomingNewsNow.tv. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  2. ^ Johnke, Jeremiah (November 22, 2019). "Overlooked superstar". Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "Natrona County safety Logan Wilson verbally commits to Wyoming". Casper Star-Tribune. December 2, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  4. ^ "Wyoming High School Football 4A All-Conference 2014". WyoPreps.com. November 21, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  5. ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (April 16, 2019). "Logan Wilson Was Born to be a Cowboy -- An Opportunity he Welcomes". SI.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Michaels, Jon (November 29, 2016). "Casper Natrona's Logan Wilson Is Mountain West Freshman of the Year". Rock967Online.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  7. ^ Wright, Jake (August 8, 2019). "North Dakota family ties -- Logan Wilson shining at Wyoming". The Dickinson Press. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  8. ^ Kennerly, Matthew (August 9, 2018). "2018 Mountain West Football 50 Best Players: #9, Wyoming LB Logan Wilson". Mountain West Wire. USA Today. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Potter, Davis (August 22, 2019). "Impactful change: Logan Wilson morphs into enforcer for Wyoming's defense". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  10. ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (December 11, 2019). "Wyoming Cowboys' Logan Wilson: From an Undersized Linebacker to a 2nd Team All-America Selection". SI.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  11. ^ Potter, Davis (February 3, 2020). "Where is Logan Wilson's draft stock heading into the NFL Scouting Combine?". The Times Herald. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  12. ^ Breen, Scott (January 21, 2020). "Logan Wilson to represent Wyoming Cowboys in Reece's Senior Bowl Saturday". MontanaSports.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  13. ^ "Logan Wilson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  14. ^ "2020 Draft Scout Logan Wilson, Wyoming NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  15. ^ Potter, Davis (April 24, 2020). "Natrona County grad Logan Wilson drafted 65th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  16. ^ Nowlin, Jack (September 14, 2020). "Former Wyoming Cowboys make some noise in NFL's opening week". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  17. ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles - September 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals – November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  19. ^ "Bengals Notebook: JaMarr Chase's Day Off Is No Movie; Logan Wilson's Run On The Future". bengals.com. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  20. ^ "Pro Football Reference: Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears - September 19th, 2021". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  21. ^ "Pro Football Reference: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 26th, 2021". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  22. ^ Jonathan X. Simmons, cleveland com (September 25, 2022). "Watch Logan Wilson's interception for the Bengals vs. the Jets to set up a field goal". cleveland. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  23. ^ "Bengals' Logan Wilson: Seventeen tackles in win". CBSSports.com. December 13, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  24. ^ "Hubbard's 98-yard fumble return lifts Bengals over Ravens". AP News. January 16, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  25. ^ "Sam Hubbard's 98-yard score breaks playoff record previously held by member of Steelers' Steel Curtain defense". CBSSports.com. January 16, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  26. ^ "Bengals' Sam Hubbard records historic 98-yard fumble return TD vs. Ravens on Super Wild Card Weekend". CBSSports.com. January 16, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  27. ^ "Bengals, Logan Wilson agree to four-year extension worth up to $37.25 million, per report". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  28. ^ "Bengals score win over Rams, but offense remains a work in progress". ESPN.com. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  29. ^ Garrison, Drew (October 15, 2023). "Logan Wilson has monster game vs. Seahawks". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  30. ^ "Logan Wilson sets up Joe Burrow TD pass with interception of Brock Purdy". Yahoo Sports. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
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