The Bengals are asking a lot of Barrett Carter in Year 2, and Sunday’s matchup with Pittsburgh could put that trust on full display.
Cincinnati has made Carter the man with the green dot, the linebacker who gets Al Golden’s defensive calls and helps steer everything on that side of the ball. That kind of responsibility usually says plenty about how a team views a young player. It also means the Steelers will know exactly where to poke.
Through two games, Carter has shown real progress in pass coverage. That matters against a Pittsburgh offense that has been starved for production and needs somewhere to turn. The Steelers have scored just 23 points through two weeks, the fewest in the NFL, and they rank 30th in total yards, 30th in passing yards, and 29th in rushing yards.
If they’re going to wake up, they’ll likely lean on Pat Freiermuth.
Freiermuth has already piled up nine catches for 78 yards and one touchdown, which is the Steelers’ only touchdown of the season. He should be in line for plenty of chances, especially if Pittsburgh keeps putting him in positions to work underneath and force Cincinnati’s linebackers to sort things out in space.
That is where Carter comes in. When the Bengals are in man coverage, he’s the most likely defender to end up on Freiermuth, and that matchup can tell a pretty clear story about where Carter has grown and where he still has a long way to go.
Last season, the coverage numbers were rough. Carter was targeted 70 times, allowed 54 completions for 691 yards, and gave up a 77.1 completion percentage, 12.8 yards per reception, three touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 115.8.
This year, the early signs are better. He’s been targeted 13 times over two games and is allowing a 61.5 completion percentage, 11.1 yards per completion, and a quarterback rating of 81.9. The improvement is enough to notice, and enough to make opponents keep testing him until it becomes undeniable.
But coverage is only half the battle.
Carter’s tackling has been the bigger concern, and it’s still not close to where Cincinnati needs it. Last season, he posted the 10th-most missed tackles in the NFL. That number stood out in a defense that already dealt with plenty of missed tackles elsewhere, including Geno Stone, Jordan Battle, and Demetrius Knight, who ranked third-most, eighth-most, and among the league leaders in that category.
The Bengals have tried to address that issue by replacing Stone with Bryan Cook, and they’re hoping the overall missed-tackle problem drops. Carter, though, remains a question mark.
His missed tackle rate was 13.8% a year ago. After two games in 2026, it has jumped to 23.5%, a number that would have ranked second-worst in 2025 and higher than Stone’s 20.0%.
There’s still plenty of season left for that number to come down. There’s also plenty of time for it to stay exactly where it is, and that’s the part Cincinnati can’t afford.
Pittsburgh will almost certainly keep looking for ways to get Freiermuth involved, especially if the offense keeps sputtering and needs a simple, reliable outlet. If that happens, Carter’s job won’t just be to make the tackle. He’ll need to stop the catch from turning into a drive-swinging chunk play.
In Other News...
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The Bengals entered the 2025 draft hoping Shemar Stewart would become a difference-maker off the edge, but the early return has only sharpened the spotlight on that decision. Selected 17th overall, Stewart had a minimal rookie impact and then did not play a defensive snap in Cincinnatis AFC North opener in his second season, a development that left the Bengals looking for answers from a pick they expected to help reshape the front.
Meanwhile, Derrick Harmon, the defensive tackle the Steelers took in that same range, was making his presence felt in the same game with a key strip sack. For Cincinnati, the comparison is hard to ignore because it goes beyond one play or one afternoon, touching the way the defense might have looked, the resources the team has tied up, and how much pain lingers when a first-round swing doesnt land the way the front office envisioned. [Read more 🡒]
Amarius Mims Passed A Huge Bengals Test Despite One Costly Mistake
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Of course, it was not a spotless afternoon. Mims had some penalties and a late pass protection breakdown, the sort of hiccup that can swing attention in a close divisional game, and Cincinnati fell 30-27 anyway. The bigger concern for the Bengals was not just one rookie mistake, but how the loss also featured problems on defense and special teams, leaving Mims' encouraging work as one of the few clear positives to come out of the day. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Injury Concerns Suddenly Loom Larger After Steelers Loss
The Bengals left Pittsburgh with more than just a loss to process, and Zac Taylors postgame injury update added another layer to an already uneasy Sunday. Colbie Young looks likely to miss next weeks game against the Jaguars, while several other injured players remain in limbo as Cincinnati tries to sort out its roster heading into the next stretch.
Taylor also addressed defensive end Shemar Stewarts limited workload, tying it to his recent practice history, while Joe Burrow said he came out of the game without any new injuries. Burrows focus was on the missed chances against the Steelers, but the bigger question for Cincinnati now is how many moving parts will still be available when the Bengals try to bounce back. [Read more 🡒]