The Bengals have officially added free agent defensive tackle Mike Daniels to the team, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter. Daniels’ contract will be for just one year and is worth up to $ 2.7 million per Schefter.
Former Packers ‘and Lions’ DT Mike Daniels has officially agreed to terms with the Bengals over a one-year deal worth up to $ 2.7 million per source.
– Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) 11 August 2020
Schefter broke the news on Sunday that the Bengals were hosting Daniels for a visit with the intention of signing him. Since then, Daniels has taken a physical and probably passed both that and at least one COVID-19 test to finalize the deal.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters during his press conference today that he expected the team to sign Daniels in the next day or so. ‘ To make room for Daniels on the 80-man roster, the team awaited rookie-defensive tackle Tyler Clark, who was signed this offseason as a college-free agent.
Daniels brings the active roster back to 80 players and the defensive line room to 12 players. The Bengals have deviated from Ryan Glasgow and have seen Josh Tupou say goodbye to the 2020 season in the past two weeks, necessitating a need for depth along the defensive line of the interior.
Enter Daniels, who spent last season with the Detroit Lions. Daniels is entering his ninth NFL season after originally being a fourth-round pick from Iowa in the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent his first seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, where he became one of the best interior defensive linemen.
Multiple foot injuries have limited Daniels’ effectiveness over the last two seasons. That’s why the Packers released him for the 2019 season and why the Lions did not keep him after the season. Now it is expected that Daniels will be a rotating piece behind Geno Atkins on his natural place 3 technique.
The role and contract for Daniels are both ideal for the Bengals, who have made several moves in an effort to improve their 30-yard defense according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric.
