Brian Asamoah Joins 4th Team in 80 Days
Brian Asamoah, who worked for the Minnesota Vikings from 2022 to 2024, has continued his world tour this week, signing with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Former Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah is on the move once again, finding his fourth new team in 80 days and hoping for staying power this time.
The fourth-year defender has encountered trouble staying with a team, and the Bengals represent his next best chance to see some eventual playing time.
Bengals Sign Brian Asamoah
Fourth time could be a charm for Asamoah.
Cincinnati Green-Lights Asamoah to Practice Squad
Asamoah to Zac Taylor’s team is a done deal. Cincy Jungle‘s Jason Marcum wrote Thursday, “The Cincinnati Bengals have signed linebacker Joe Giles-Harris off the practice squad to the active roster, the team announced Thursday. The team also cut Myles Cole from the practice squad while adding Liam Anderson and Brian Asamoah II to the practice squad.”
“Asamoah (6-1, 230), a fourth-year player out of Oklahoma, was a third-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. He played in 46 games over three seasons (2022-24) with the Vikings and totaled 20 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery, along with 10 special teams tackles. He spent the first eight weeks of this season on Las Vegas’ practice squad.”
The former Viking is now one roster call-up away from the regular season.
Cincinnati’s Updated Linebacking Crew
With Asamoah in the house, here’s a peek at Taylor’s linebacking unit entering Week 9:
- Barrett Carter
- Demetrius Knight Jr.
- Logan Wilson
- Oren Burk
- Joe Giles-Harris
- Liam Anderson (Practice Squad)
- Brian Asamoah (Practice Squad)
- Shaka Heyward (Injured Reserve)
It’s worth noting that Wilson, a 3rd-Rounder from the 2020 NFL Draft, has been whispered here and there in the trade rumor mill, so there’s a school of thought that suggests that Asamoah is in the house for extra depth because Wilson could be shipped elsewhere. Wilson has started 65 games since 2020.
Other Vikings in CIN
The Bengals have two semi-notable former Vikings on their roster, headlined by Dalton Risner, who played for the purple team as an offensive guard in 2023 and 2024. Risner never has much luck during standard free agency, usually getting the call from his new team late in the summer or early in the regular season. That was the case for Risner this summer. He has a 56.8 Pro Football Focus grade through eight weeks.
Then, Jake Browning is the backup quarterback at the moment, behind Joe Flacco. Browning started his career in the Twin Cities as an undrafted free agent before departing in 2021. He struggled this season, though, after Joe Burrow injured his toe, and Cincinnati subsequently traded for the wily veteran in Flacco.
Asamoah’s Time in Minnesota
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah grabbed Brian Asamoah out of the middle of the infamous 2022 NFL Draft — a class that now feels more like a cautionary tale than a foundation. Back then, though, Asamoah looked like a steal.
He was explosive and fast — the kind of linebacker who seemed destined to energize the middle of Minnesota’s defense. And early on, he did. There were flashes in that 13-win season — small bursts of what looked like a possible cornerstone.
But then came the Brian Flores era, and everything went to pot for Asamoah. His name quietly vanished from the rotation, replaced by a carousel of veterans and placeholders. When Jordan Hicks got hurt in 2023, Flores dusted off Anthony Barr instead of promoting the young speedster everyone once hyped.
By August 2025, the story was over. Minnesota cut Asamoah without ceremony, closing the book on a prospect who never got his real shot.
Logan Wilson to the Cowboys?
NFL.com‘s Mia Fowler and Matt Okada floated the idea of the aforementioned Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys this week: “Enter Logan Wilson, who requested a trade after he was benched for rookie Barrett Carter. After starting the first seven games of the year and playing 70%+ of the defensive snaps in the first five, Wilson has played just 30.5% of the snaps since Week 6 and was replaced by Carter in the starting lineup in Week 8.”
“Wilson was excellent statistically from 2021 through 2023 — with nine interceptions, four forced fumbles and 17 passes defensed, plus roughly 120 tackles per season — but he has been less of an impact playmaker for Cincy the last couple of years. Still, he has made 148 tackles on 162 attempts since the start of 2024 — a 91.4% tackle rate that ranks ninth among linebackers. He’s allowed just a 66.7% completion rate when targeted, better than any Cowboys LB with at least 100 snaps. A change of scenery might help Wilson’s cause, and Dallas needs a leader and a field marshal on defense (Wilson is a team captain in Cincinnati).”
The Bengals’ defense ranks 31st in the NFL per EPA/Play through eight weeks. Ironically, only the Cowboys rank worse at No. 32.
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