Last month, when Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson was carted off the field during the Week 13 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, all that he knew for certain was that his shoulder hurt.
He didn't know if he’d need surgery after the injury on Dec. 5. Or if he’d play again this season. And he didn’t know if he’d get the opportunity that he’d waited his whole life for, playing every down as a starting linebacker on a playoff team.
When Wilson met with the medical staff, he heard that he most likely needed surgery, but that there was a chance he wouldn’t. Wilson focused on the small possibility that he’d be able to play again this season.
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“I just thought to myself, that’s all I need is that little percentage,” Wilson said. “They’re saying there’s a chance that I cannot have surgery so I’m gonna do everything in my power to rehab it the right way … Just took it one day at a time and here we are.”
Wilson made his surprising return in Sunday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Five days before the game, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that Wilson was “very doubtful.” Wilson remembers talking to his physical therapist early in the week about wanting to see how he felt after one more massage.
Afterward, Wilson felt the soft tissue pain in his right shoulder ease. Then in the biggest game of the season, Wilson played all 61 defensive snaps and called the signals out of the huddle for the Bengals defense.
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“It was everything I could’ve asked for in my return to come back and clinch the AFC North,” Wilson said. “Those three weeks that I was out were tough. Just having to watch from the sidelines. It’s something you never want to experience, but it gives you a little more hunger to get back healthy.”
Against the Chiefs, Wilson ranked second on the Bengals with five tackles. He played a big part in holding Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to 25 receiving yards, and Wilson also helped take Kansas City’s running backs completely out of the running game.
In 2020, the Bengals drafted Wilson with matchups exactly like the Chiefs in mind. Wilson’s athleticism and his coverage skills are his strength as a linebacker, and he was the type of modern player that defenses need against the Chiefs, one of the most modern offenses in the NFL.
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Even though it was his first game in nearly a month, Wilson played his typical role in coverage, his normal role in the middle of the run game and even made an impact with a few blitzes.
“That was a big game to have him back,” Taylor said. “The style of game that that was, his abilities in coverage and communication-wise were critical. I thought he played physically.”
On Sunday, Wilson saved a linebacker room that would have been in dire straights without him. Germaine Pratt, the other starting linebacker, was on the COVID-19 list and missed the game. The Bengals three primary backups entering the season, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Jordan Evans and Joe Bachie, are all out for the season.
If Wilson hadn’t recovered, then the Bengals would have started 2020 seventh round pick Markus Bailey next to linebacker Clay Johnston, a midseason waiver claim who has played four total defensive snaps with Cincinnati.
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Wilson returned, though, and he stepped right back into his role as one of the fastest rising players on the Bengals defense.
“I thought I played pretty well for the most part, for not having played for three weeks,” Wilson said. “Just got to continue to trust that my shoulder is fine. There's always that little mental barrier that's in your head when you come off an injury, but my shoulder was fine.”
COVID UPDATE: The Bengals have had two players return from the COVID-19 list this week, but two new players also joined it.
The Bengals have placed running back Joe Mixon and defensive tackle B.J. Hill on the COVID-19 list. Their status for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, in addition to the status of the other four active players on the COVID-19 list, is uncertain.
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Since the NFL only requires a maximum five-day quarantine window in most cases, Taylor said that he expects these players to be back in the building early next week for playoff preparation.
Cornerback Trae Waynes and wide receiver Trenton Irwin both returned from the COVID-19 list and have been full participants in practice.
O-LINE MOVES: With offensive guard Quinton Spain on the COVID-19 list and dealing with a sprained ankle, rookie Jackson Carman will start at left guard this week. Offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, who was the starting right guard in Week 1 before suffering a knee injury that has kept him out, is back in the mix for a backup role.
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“(Su’a-File) does a great job,” Taylor said. “(He) has been a tremendous mentor for a lot of our rookie linemen and younger linemen. He's a guy who just loves being a part of this team.”
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