Bengals LBs Send Message After No Moves: 'It Definitely Speaks Volumes'

Asked to rank his interest level in last weekend’s NFL Draft on a scale of 1 to 10, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Barrett Carter went right to 10.

He said he was “locked in” and that he like what he saw.

No doubt he liked what he didn’t see as well – the Bengals drafting a linebacker.

The front office backed up everything the coaches have been saying about their confidence in Carter and fellow 2025 rookie Demetrius Knight Jr. when they didn’t sign a linebacker in free agency last month or use one of their seven picks on the position over the weekend.

“It definitely speaks volumes that they trust us and they're trying to see the vision with us,” Carter said. “I'm happy about that. But we're confident if they brought in 10 linebackers, we're confident if they didn't bring in a linebacker. We're just ready to keep going to work and keep building this foundation so we're playing next February.”

Knight said he wasn’t as locked in on the draft as Carter was because he was too busy being a dad.

But Knight agreed that the Bengals not drafting a linebacker delivered a message.

“I believe it shows a level of trust,” he said. “But it also kicks us in the rear a little more, knowing they trust us going into Year 2.”

Both linebackers walked away from their rookie years feeling good about the improvement they made during the second half of the season.

They already were excited to be back in the building last week for the start of the voluntary offseason program.

But that emotion went to a whole other level when they found out about the Bengals trading for Dexter Lawrence.

“I was on the pickleball court, and I screamed my ass off,” Carter said. “You never know in this league what can happen and what trades can pull off, so when I saw that that happened, it just sent so much joy and excitement to my heart.”

Knight said a lot of his struggles from 2025 can be chalked up to being a rookie, learning a new system and playing different positions.

So with all of that behind him, he expects to be a better player in 2026.

That addition of Lawrence only increases that belief.

“A guy that can fill up a McDonald's drive-thru also allows you to play a little bit faster as well,” Knight said. “Him taking up two, even three blocks sometimes, is gonna make it a lot easier. Not just for us, but for the guys in the secondary who might have to get into some gaps. It's gonna be a lot easier for a lot of us.”

From director of player personnel Duke Tobin to head coach Zac Taylor to defensive coordinator Al Golden, the Bengals have voiced their confidence in Carter and Knight the entire offseason.

But their actions this weekend in not selecting a linebacker delivered a more emphatic message than anything they said.

Tobin said that wasn’t the intent, that there wasn’t a plan to avoid drafting a linebacker.

But he also reiterated how his belief in Carter and Knight are.

“I don't think we went into (the draft) saying we're not going to add at any position,” Tobin said. “It's opportunities that come up. Probably the best thing we did for our linebacker room is what we did for the D line room, and that's going to elevate those guys.

“I have real belief in the (linebackers) that we have,” he added. “They have full seasons under their belt. They have really good production for rookies and they're going to grow in our scheme, and they're going to be really good players, and I think we have depth behind them.”

Tobin also said it doesn’t mean the team is done looking.

Restructuring Joe Burrow’s contract could be a way to free up some more cap space to bring in a veteran free agent that’s still available. Or claiming one off waivers after cutdown day.

“We're always looking,” he said. “This is a 12-month thing. This isn't just a two-month thing. But in this two months, the opportunity wasn't there to add to that group, and we accept that because we have guys that we believe in there."

Carter said he heard the vote confidence earlier this offseason.

This weekend, he felt it.

“It feels great, he said. “I know that they trust what we have in this building. They trust me, D Knight, OB (Oren Burks), Joe (Giles-Harris), Shaka (Heyward). So it means the world to me, and it instills a lot of confidence in me.”

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