By Conrad Clowers
Herald Sports Writer
Rookies, especially for the Cincinnati Bengals, are beginning to find out you will be baptized by fire at some point. In the year of the pandemic nobody knows week-to week if a game will be played and who will be out.
Not many players from Wyoming make it to the NFL. Logan Wilson became an exception to the rule. Wilson had a solid career at Wyoming where he was named freshman of the year and was an All Mountain West player while playing at Wyoming.
On NFL draft day the Bengals selected Wilson with the 65th pick in the third round. Ten games into his debut NFL season Wilson had 22 tackles and 1 sack. The rookie from Wyoming has come to find out that playing with the best of the best is much more of a challenge than playing in the Mountain West. Cincinnati has been dealt blow after blow from injuries this season.
The team was dealt its biggest blow of the season when quarterback Joe Burrow was carted off the field with a knee injury. The injury likely will end his 2020 season.
The injuries on the defensive side of the ball have opened many doors for players. Wilson, who was expected to get ample playing time in 2020 regardless, has not let his opportunity slip through his fingers. With the loss to the Washington football team, Cincinnati now stood at 2-7-1 and in dead last place. For the fifth season in a row, the team will have nothing to play for.
For Wilson this will be prime time to gain experience and pad his stats. Bengal defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has put Wilson in position to disrupt the flow of opponents passing games and gain interceptions. The rookie already has two interceptions on the season. His first came against Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
Cincinnati now will focus their attention on the spoiler role as playoff hopes are all but gone. For Wilson, this is prime time to solidify his stakes in his future with the Cincinnati Bengals.