The Bengals solidified their youth movement at linebacker before Tuesday's trade deadline when they moved Logan Wilson to the Cowboys for Dallas' seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Since the Oct. 12 game in Green Bay, the same day quarterback Joe Flacco made his first Bengals start, they turned to rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter with Wilson in a reserve role.

That's the day head coach Zac Taylor opted to start Carter with Wilson's green dot helmet that signifies the defensive playcaller. Carter, a fourth-rounder from Clemson, is coming off his third double-digit tackling game in his four starts, and Knight, a second-rounder from South Carolina, leads all rookie linebackers with 68 combined tackles, according to Pro Football Reference.

After Wilson (calf) missed last Sunday's game, Taylor reiterated his support for his young backers. Ever since the spring, he has been impressed with the pair's maturity and leadership beyond their years.

"That's just the decision we made. That's just work through it. We see the potential with these guys," Taylor said on Monday. "We see some leadership quality with these guys. It's not going to be perfect, and there are going to be some learning moments, but I believe in them that we're going to start playing at a high level.

"Our guys are in (NFL) starts nine and five. So there are going to be things they're going to learn on the fly. I trust those guys. That's why they're out there, because I see the potential they have."

Wilson, the first pick of the third round in 2020, was voted a captain this season as the Bengals' longest-tenured defensive player. He leaves with 11 regular-season interceptions, tied with the most by a backer in the 2020s. The Bears' Tremaine Edmunds tied him Sunday at Paycor Stadium with 2:42 left.

After requesting a trade, Wilson, 29, goes to a Dallas defense where he'll most likely be plugged in as a starter. The Cowboys went into last Monday night's game against the Cardinals ranked ahead of only the Bengals and gave up a 115.1 passer rating to Arizona backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett during a 27-17 loss.

Before the Cowboys fell to 3-5-1, owner Jerry Jones indicated to reporters that he was on the verge of a deal in an effort to get back into the playoff hunt.

"I like our nuts and bolts a lot," Jones said via Pro Football Talk. "I don't like what's happening to the nuts and bolts, but I like them a lot."

Wilson's biggest interception isn't even one of the 11. He caught cornerback Eli Apple's deflected pass from Ryan Tannehill with 20 seconds left in Tennessee to set up Evan McPherson’s last-play field goal to win the 2021 AFC Divisional.

He had a two-interception, 14-tackle day in Pittsburgh earlier that season, racked up 32 tackles in consecutive games during the 10-game winning streak in 2022 that included a career-high 17 tackles against the Browns, and avenged Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford with two interceptions in a 19-17 Thursday Night Paycor win in 2023.

Wilson goes down in Bengals lore as the man who had perfect coverage on Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp in the middle of the field on third-and-eight from the Bengals 8 with 1:44 left and the Bengals leading the Super Bowl, 20-16. But he was flagged for holding in a hotly debated call, and a minute later Stafford turned Kupp into Super Bowl MVP with the winning touchdown pass.

With 73 games in stripes, tackle B.J. Hill is now the longest-tenured Bengal on defense, followed by defensive end Trey Hendrickson at 72.