When the Dallas Cowboys traded for Logan Wilson at this year's trade deadline, fans were ecstatic. Parting with a lowly seventh-round pick for a player who recorded 100+ tackles in each of the last four seasons felt like highway robbery, but that decision has turned out to be anything but.
Wilson hasn't been overly impactful since landing in Dallas, but nobody expecting things to unravel this disastrously this fast. In the Cowboys' Christmas Day victory over the Washington Commanders, the 29-year-old didn't even take the field, as DC Matt Eberflus never subbed him into the contest.
Logan Wilson did not sub into the game today.
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) December 25, 2025
This is especially weird because it's not like he was healthy scratched and he was expected to be inactive. This came out of left field and there's been little clarity on this, which is perplexing that you would bench (or silently discipline) a player you traded for less than two months ago with nothing to play for.
Jerry Jones' decision to trade for Logan Wilson looks worse than ever before
Shemar James and Kenneth Murray were the main linebackers on the field against Washington, as in a rare instance, there wasn't much rotation at linebacker. And with DeMarion Overshown not playing due to a concussion, it should have been the perfect opportunity for Wilson to step up on defense.
What's even weirder is that the Wyoming product was a full-time starter in Cincinnati, but has only started one of his seven games Cowboys. Yes, a seventh-round pick isn't particularly expensive for a rotational player, but this was a player who was a cornerstone of some weak Bengals' defenses.
The only reason he was traded to begin with was because he requested a trade, and he should regret that right now. Murray has had a terrible season, while James has started to break out down the stretch of his rookie season, but Wilson should be able to beat out a draft bust and a fifth-round pick.
Something worth noting is that Wilson is under contract through 2027, but his contract extension he signed with the Bengals comes with an out after the season. And given he'll cost nearly $7 million to retain entering his age-30 season, this could be a sign of what's to come in Dallas this offseason.
He'll more than likely be cut after the year, and that's a dramatic fall from grace from a player who was a captain on his old team. And this move goes to show you that making win-now moves at the trade deadline doesn't always pan out the way you expect it will.