November 4, 2025 • 11 mins
Lance and James react to the Bengals trading LB Logan Wilson to the Cowboys.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
All right, let's sort through what has transpired today for
the Bengals and around the NFL. Who better to do
that with than my leadoff guest tonight, he covers the
Bengals his publisher of Bengals Talk dot com. You got
to listen to the Cincinnai Bengals Talk and Locked on
Bengals podcast. Man, has he been busy today? Let's welcome
(00:28):
in James Orpene. How are you? I'm well, I'm curious.
I'll ask the question everybody's wondering and everybody's discussing today,
the trade of Logan Wilson. Your reaction to Logan to
the Cowboys for a seventh round draft pick.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I think given the position that they put themselves in,
which is benching their captain in Sanburger rookie and looking
at his contract, I think this makes sense. You have one.
To get that contract off the books, you free up
roughly five point two million dollars in cap space if
(01:06):
you combined this year and next year and what they'll save,
and so it stinks, but it beats the alternative of
you keep Logan around until February. You cut it. You
have a bigger cap hit. You don't have any cap savings.
You don't have any seventh round pick and he's still
signing elsewhere. So did they handle everything right leading up
(01:28):
to it, from the benching and everything involved there that
really hurt his trade value. No, by getting something and
getting someone to take on that contract, I think it
was worth it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah, here's what I and you bring up a point
that I've never understood in all of this when when
they initially did this with Logan, it to me it
just it screamed rebuild and we're moving on, and yet
they were still in it, and yet by doing it,
they exposed themselves to the inexperience and the problems that
came with it.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
It just seem like mixed messaging or goals.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You can totally agree. And I've asked Zach a few
times about the play because he's like, yeah, we got
to play the young guys, and I get it. At
like a left guard. You drafted Dylan Fairchild to play
left guard and start right away. You knew that on
draft day. Demetrius Knight, even if you disagree with the
pick at the time, you drafted him to do that
(02:26):
to play linebacker for you. You took him in the second round.
You knew he was going to start from day one
to replace Jermaine Prep. Fine, but Logan wasn't so bad
that you had to bention. And in turn, when you
did that, you're right. You open yourselves up to a
lot of mistakes when you're still very much in it,
when you had just traded for Joe Flacco. Barrett Carter's
(02:47):
first start was Joe Flacco's first start at Lambo, and
you have just traded for Joe Flackle. You're trying to
stay in it. And the other element here is it
completely tanks any value Logan Wilson might have had. So
there are a lot of peopeople that look at this
and say, you couldn't get a fifth for Logan Wilson
or a sixth for Logan Wilson. Well, maybe you could
have if he had another thirty tackles and when he's
(03:08):
on the field and maybe had an interception or two,
and they made the move then, And I do think
it's a questionable move that as of now, has it
made them better. Maybe it will, but benching Logan Wilson
has not made them better on defense, and the past
four games are pretty obvious where the defense has had
(03:29):
every opportunity even at Lambo at third and eight, to
get the ball back to Joe Flacko in the Bengals
kit to win that game. An opportunity to put the
Steelers away didn't do it. Multiple opportunities to put the
Jets away, an opportunity to put the Bears away. This
defense hasn't done it. And you do wonder, man, if
Logan was out there, would he have made a play,
just that one play that could have put one of
(03:50):
those games away.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Are you surprised Trey Hendrickson is still here.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I'm not surprised. I'm I'm disappointed, but there's there's so
many layers to this. I'm disappointed because I'm afraid that
we're going to go down the same path that they
went down this past year, which is tray just kind of.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
In the wind.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
They can franchise tag him, and his agent left him
open for the franchise tag, and I think that's very
much in play. I know he dismissed that a few
months ago, but I do. I think that's very much
in play. Once upon a time, Lance I told t Higgins, like,
watch out for that tag again. They're going to tag
you next year. This is This wasn't during an interview.
This is just me and him chatting. He was like,
don't say that. I was like, I'm telling you. And
(04:37):
guess what they did. Now. They ended up keeping Tea
because Joe Brow moved mountains behind the scenes to do so.
But you get my point here is this this tray thing.
Now it's just continuing to dangle and it is a
distraction and it is an issue, and it impacts Trey
and it messes with him, and I get it. You
(04:57):
need playmakers. Fine, what if you need, then pay him
and if you don't want to pay him, then trade him.
And instead it's this weird in between where they're three
and six. But Trade's gonna come back and he's going
to help them some and they're going to be in
this little middle ground. But I don't think any team
should want to be in, and I think that's where
they're going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
They had a number of other expiring contracts, be it
Cam Taylor Bridge, Genostone, long list, Joseph's side, long list
of brothers. Should they have done more today beyond Logan
Wilson and not doing something with Trade?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Yeah, you know me, of course they should have I
mean of course they do you think. Let me ask
you this, do you think that the Bengals and maybe
no One wanted to trade for Genostone, but do you
think they're worse? I Ginostone just isn't on the roster
outside of depth.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
No, I mean I don't.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I'm not trying to be mean to Gino. But he
should have tackled Coastal love Them the other day. Yeah,
Jordan Battle should have tackled Coastal love One the other day.
I just some of these guys. Joseph aside, You've had
so many opportunities to be a consistent layer for this
team and it hasn't happened. You couldn't get a pick
spot for Joseph O'SI that Joseph try On a Tryon
(06:08):
could deal with the Bears where the Browns send Joe
try On to the Bear like. Of course you could have.
And so those are the type of deals that I
think that I would have been open to. I wanted
them to be open to because I'm not sure it
makes you worse. It hurts your depth a little bit,
but I'm not sure it makes you worse, And it
(06:28):
gives you more resources, more tools for the future. So yeah,
Cam Taylor Britt would have been one like Cam, but
would have been open to dealing him. Joseph O'SI sure
for sure in plenty of these other guys on expiring
contracts or just guys that don't seem like they're going
to be part of the long term plan.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Did you anticipate yesterday when you guys spoke with Zach,
did you anticipate any change to the coaching staff?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I did not so much so, And this is not
a shameless plug. I just want to make it clear
of how much I, without talking to anyone, without asking anyone,
knew they weren't going to make a move. I had
recorded my podcast before Zach talked before Locker Room and
said they're not going to make a move. We won't
have to come back and record one, and talked about
(07:22):
the coaching staff why they shouldn't. I don't really blame
them for not making a move coaching staff wise. And
here's why, I asked Al Golden. And this is after
I recorded the lockdow Bals podcast too. I asked Al Golden, Hey,
is there any teaching point for Jordan Battle in that
situation against Colston Loveland? Like, no, just get him to
(07:45):
the ground and so at some point and I did it.
The defense has been so bad and it looks so bad,
but I refuse to believe that this coach that people
eight months ago, nine months ago, ten months ago, we're
saying was the best defensive coordinator in the country at
(08:05):
Notre Dame just forgot how to coach. And the other
proof I have is lou Anarumo goes to the Coles
and he clearly didn't forget how to coach, So like
fool me once it's all on MoU Well, clearly it
wasn't fine, But I'm still okay with the change because
I think they got a good coach and now Golden
(08:25):
it doesn't look good now and they're so bad fine,
but that does firing Al Golden today make them better?
Like they're all on the hot seat. We know that
they're three and six, like they should all be on
the hot seat. Zactus on the hot seat. They're all
on the hot seat. So making the move now, I'm
not sure that matters, but they better be better. You know.
It's it's a shame because I I'm just shocked at
(08:49):
how bad it's gotten Like this is. This is comically bad.
I've covered some bad teams. I mean when we were
working together daily. Think about some of those twenty seventeen
twenty eighteen Bengals and of Marvin era defenses. They were bad,
but it wasn't like this. This is is the worst
I've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Got about a minute. You've in covering all those teams,
been in that locker room for high points and low points.
Describe the vibe Sunday after the game in that locker room.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Oh yeah, I mean starting to starting to come to
the realization of what they are. And it's maddening. I
think it's maddening you because you see one side and
you know it's this offensive line that I think has
done a pretty darn good job in the Joe Flacco era.
(09:40):
And obviously you have the skill guys that are just unbelievable.
I mean, Jamar and t have been just insane, and
Andre steps up and Chase Brown's making plays and I
know he had a few drops, but all these guys
are making place for Joe Flacco. The offensive line is
playing well, and the defense just can't make a play.
Of course, a turnover can't get off the field. Third
ten Caleb Williams just rolls out and runs for fourteen
(10:03):
yards against me. That's the hidden play in all of this.
They had him at third down, and I don't think
anyone in the building was confident they were getting a stop,
and so I think that's it. And I don't know
how they fix it on defense, I really don't. I've
I just kind of expected to come back to the
(10:26):
mean a little bit, but it's just been so bad
that I would be throwing a bunch of stuff at
the wall. And that's why I would have been open
to trading some of those guys. I really would have.
And maybe they were right. I don't think so. I
just know their history and how they operate. I don't
think they were pushing cam Taylor Bride or pushing a
bj Hill trade or push to get his contract off
the books, or you know, open to trading Jordan. Battle
(10:49):
just didn't feel like that. But they probably should have,
just to just switch it up a little bit. You
never know what a little new life could bring you.
We've seen that with Joe Flacco. So yeah, it's I
think reality has said in a bit on this team,
for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
You have been cranking out the content, not just today,
but day after day, What do you have up now,
what will be coming and how can listeners partake in.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
All of it. I just posted a lock on Bengals podcast.
We've relive on Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube for an hour.
Plenty of stuff there. I'm looking at Bengals Talk dot
com and there are a bunch of articles reacting to
the Logan Wilson deal, reacting to their lack of trades
with Trey hendrickson the cap space that they saved for
(11:34):
Logan Wilson, the actual pick that the Cowboys are sending
isn't the Cowboys That details there. There's so much at
Bengals Talk dot com as well.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Busy day. I appreciate your carbon out of time.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Thank you absolutely thanks Mans
All right, let's sort through what has transpired today for
the Bengals and around the NFL. Who better to do
that with than my leadoff guest tonight, he covers the
Bengals his publisher of Bengals Talk dot com. You got
to listen to the Cincinnai Bengals Talk and Locked on
Bengals podcast. Man, has he been busy today? Let's welcome
(00:28):
in James Orpene. How are you? I'm well, I'm curious.
I'll ask the question everybody's wondering and everybody's discussing today,
the trade of Logan Wilson. Your reaction to Logan to
the Cowboys for a seventh round draft pick.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I think given the position that they put themselves in,
which is benching their captain in Sanburger rookie and looking
at his contract, I think this makes sense. You have one.
To get that contract off the books, you free up
roughly five point two million dollars in cap space if
(01:06):
you combined this year and next year and what they'll save,
and so it stinks, but it beats the alternative of
you keep Logan around until February. You cut it. You
have a bigger cap hit. You don't have any cap savings.
You don't have any seventh round pick and he's still
signing elsewhere. So did they handle everything right leading up
(01:28):
to it, from the benching and everything involved there that
really hurt his trade value. No, by getting something and
getting someone to take on that contract, I think it
was worth it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah, here's what I and you bring up a point
that I've never understood in all of this when when
they initially did this with Logan, it to me it
just it screamed rebuild and we're moving on, and yet
they were still in it, and yet by doing it,
they exposed themselves to the inexperience and the problems that
came with it.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
It just seem like mixed messaging or goals.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You can totally agree. And I've asked Zach a few
times about the play because he's like, yeah, we got
to play the young guys, and I get it. At
like a left guard. You drafted Dylan Fairchild to play
left guard and start right away. You knew that on
draft day. Demetrius Knight, even if you disagree with the
pick at the time, you drafted him to do that
(02:26):
to play linebacker for you. You took him in the second round.
You knew he was going to start from day one
to replace Jermaine Prep. Fine, but Logan wasn't so bad
that you had to bention. And in turn, when you
did that, you're right. You open yourselves up to a
lot of mistakes when you're still very much in it,
when you had just traded for Joe Flacco. Barrett Carter's
(02:47):
first start was Joe Flacco's first start at Lambo, and
you have just traded for Joe Flackle. You're trying to
stay in it. And the other element here is it
completely tanks any value Logan Wilson might have had. So
there are a lot of peopeople that look at this
and say, you couldn't get a fifth for Logan Wilson
or a sixth for Logan Wilson. Well, maybe you could
have if he had another thirty tackles and when he's
(03:08):
on the field and maybe had an interception or two,
and they made the move then, And I do think
it's a questionable move that as of now, has it
made them better. Maybe it will, but benching Logan Wilson
has not made them better on defense, and the past
four games are pretty obvious where the defense has had
(03:29):
every opportunity even at Lambo at third and eight, to
get the ball back to Joe Flacko in the Bengals
kit to win that game. An opportunity to put the
Steelers away didn't do it. Multiple opportunities to put the
Jets away, an opportunity to put the Bears away. This
defense hasn't done it. And you do wonder, man, if
Logan was out there, would he have made a play,
just that one play that could have put one of
(03:50):
those games away.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Are you surprised Trey Hendrickson is still here.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I'm not surprised. I'm I'm disappointed, but there's there's so
many layers to this. I'm disappointed because I'm afraid that
we're going to go down the same path that they
went down this past year, which is tray just kind of.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
In the wind.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
They can franchise tag him, and his agent left him
open for the franchise tag, and I think that's very
much in play. I know he dismissed that a few
months ago, but I do. I think that's very much
in play. Once upon a time, Lance I told t Higgins, like,
watch out for that tag again. They're going to tag
you next year. This is This wasn't during an interview.
This is just me and him chatting. He was like,
don't say that. I was like, I'm telling you. And
(04:37):
guess what they did. Now. They ended up keeping Tea
because Joe Brow moved mountains behind the scenes to do so.
But you get my point here is this this tray thing.
Now it's just continuing to dangle and it is a
distraction and it is an issue, and it impacts Trey
and it messes with him, and I get it. You
(04:57):
need playmakers. Fine, what if you need, then pay him
and if you don't want to pay him, then trade him.
And instead it's this weird in between where they're three
and six. But Trade's gonna come back and he's going
to help them some and they're going to be in
this little middle ground. But I don't think any team
should want to be in, and I think that's where
they're going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
They had a number of other expiring contracts, be it
Cam Taylor Bridge, Genostone, long list, Joseph's side, long list
of brothers. Should they have done more today beyond Logan
Wilson and not doing something with Trade?
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Yeah, you know me, of course they should have I
mean of course they do you think. Let me ask
you this, do you think that the Bengals and maybe
no One wanted to trade for Genostone, but do you
think they're worse? I Ginostone just isn't on the roster
outside of depth.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
No, I mean I don't.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I'm not trying to be mean to Gino. But he
should have tackled Coastal love Them the other day. Yeah,
Jordan Battle should have tackled Coastal love One the other day.
I just some of these guys. Joseph aside, You've had
so many opportunities to be a consistent layer for this
team and it hasn't happened. You couldn't get a pick
spot for Joseph O'SI that Joseph try On a Tryon
(06:08):
could deal with the Bears where the Browns send Joe
try On to the Bear like. Of course you could have.
And so those are the type of deals that I
think that I would have been open to. I wanted
them to be open to because I'm not sure it
makes you worse. It hurts your depth a little bit,
but I'm not sure it makes you worse, And it
(06:28):
gives you more resources, more tools for the future. So yeah,
Cam Taylor Britt would have been one like Cam, but
would have been open to dealing him. Joseph O'SI sure
for sure in plenty of these other guys on expiring
contracts or just guys that don't seem like they're going
to be part of the long term plan.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Did you anticipate yesterday when you guys spoke with Zach,
did you anticipate any change to the coaching staff?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I did not so much so, And this is not
a shameless plug. I just want to make it clear
of how much I, without talking to anyone, without asking anyone,
knew they weren't going to make a move. I had
recorded my podcast before Zach talked before Locker Room and
said they're not going to make a move. We won't
have to come back and record one, and talked about
(07:22):
the coaching staff why they shouldn't. I don't really blame
them for not making a move coaching staff wise. And
here's why, I asked Al Golden. And this is after
I recorded the lockdow Bals podcast too. I asked Al Golden, Hey,
is there any teaching point for Jordan Battle in that
situation against Colston Loveland? Like, no, just get him to
(07:45):
the ground and so at some point and I did it.
The defense has been so bad and it looks so bad,
but I refuse to believe that this coach that people
eight months ago, nine months ago, ten months ago, we're
saying was the best defensive coordinator in the country at
(08:05):
Notre Dame just forgot how to coach. And the other
proof I have is lou Anarumo goes to the Coles
and he clearly didn't forget how to coach, So like
fool me once it's all on MoU Well, clearly it
wasn't fine, But I'm still okay with the change because
I think they got a good coach and now Golden
(08:25):
it doesn't look good now and they're so bad fine,
but that does firing Al Golden today make them better?
Like they're all on the hot seat. We know that
they're three and six, like they should all be on
the hot seat. Zactus on the hot seat. They're all
on the hot seat. So making the move now, I'm
not sure that matters, but they better be better. You know.
It's it's a shame because I I'm just shocked at
(08:49):
how bad it's gotten Like this is. This is comically bad.
I've covered some bad teams. I mean when we were
working together daily. Think about some of those twenty seventeen
twenty eighteen Bengals and of Marvin era defenses. They were bad,
but it wasn't like this. This is is the worst
I've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Got about a minute. You've in covering all those teams,
been in that locker room for high points and low points.
Describe the vibe Sunday after the game in that locker room.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Oh yeah, I mean starting to starting to come to
the realization of what they are. And it's maddening. I
think it's maddening you because you see one side and
you know it's this offensive line that I think has
done a pretty darn good job in the Joe Flacco era.
(09:40):
And obviously you have the skill guys that are just unbelievable.
I mean, Jamar and t have been just insane, and
Andre steps up and Chase Brown's making plays and I
know he had a few drops, but all these guys
are making place for Joe Flacco. The offensive line is
playing well, and the defense just can't make a play.
Of course, a turnover can't get off the field. Third
ten Caleb Williams just rolls out and runs for fourteen
(10:03):
yards against me. That's the hidden play in all of this.
They had him at third down, and I don't think
anyone in the building was confident they were getting a stop,
and so I think that's it. And I don't know
how they fix it on defense, I really don't. I've
I just kind of expected to come back to the
(10:26):
mean a little bit, but it's just been so bad
that I would be throwing a bunch of stuff at
the wall. And that's why I would have been open
to trading some of those guys. I really would have.
And maybe they were right. I don't think so. I
just know their history and how they operate. I don't
think they were pushing cam Taylor Bride or pushing a
bj Hill trade or push to get his contract off
the books, or you know, open to trading Jordan. Battle
(10:49):
just didn't feel like that. But they probably should have,
just to just switch it up a little bit. You
never know what a little new life could bring you.
We've seen that with Joe Flacco. So yeah, it's I
think reality has said in a bit on this team,
for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
You have been cranking out the content, not just today,
but day after day, What do you have up now,
what will be coming and how can listeners partake in.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
All of it. I just posted a lock on Bengals podcast.
We've relive on Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube for an hour.
Plenty of stuff there. I'm looking at Bengals Talk dot
com and there are a bunch of articles reacting to
the Logan Wilson deal, reacting to their lack of trades
with Trey hendrickson the cap space that they saved for
(11:34):
Logan Wilson, the actual pick that the Cowboys are sending
isn't the Cowboys That details there. There's so much at
Bengals Talk dot com as well.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Busy day. I appreciate your carbon out of time.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Thank you absolutely thanks Mans
Lance McAlister News
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