The Cincinnati Bengals will start fresh on defense in 2025 under new coordinator Al Golden.
While a big chunk of last year's players will return, it's becoming more apparent that some notable names won't be back.
One is veteran linebacker Germaine Pratt. He requested a trade from the Bengals right around the time of the coordinator change and overall staff shakeups this offseason.
Making this all the more obvious is the fact Pratt's name doesn't come up one single time during a chat between Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com and new Bengals linebackers coach Mike Hodges:
"There's not many of them. I'm very excited about Logan (Wilson) … He can do it all … I'm here to help him grow. I want this to be a player-ran room. At times, I may have to pull authority, but that's going to be after a good, collaborative conversation. We're going to be very open in here."
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Maybe this is just the policy right now, given Pratt's request and the overall state of things. But it still sticks out as notable, too, considering the context.
That context is the Bengals possibly losing a starter alongside Logan Wilson, which could open the door for a name like Oren Burks or even Maema Njongmeta to step into bigger playing time next season. Perhaps it means they look at linebackers earlier in the draft than expected, too.
Either way, a Pratt trade seems unlikely given his age (29 next month), performance and $7.9 million cap hit in 2025. An outright release seems more likely, provided the two sides don't patch things up.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Glaring omission hints at fate of one veteran on Bengals roster
