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The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to an undrafted free agent deal with defensive tackle Harold Brantley.
Brantley began his college career with the Missouri Tigers, where he became an All-SEC performer in the 2014 season. He was on pace to hear his name called in a future NFL Draft, but a devastating car crash nearly derailed his professional aspirations in the summer of 2015. It cost him all of that season and sidelined him for much of the 2016 offseason.
Unfortunately, Brantley had other off-field issues that led to his dismissal by the program for failing to meet academic expectations. He wound up finishing his college career at Northwest Missouri, a Division II school in nearby Maryville.
Brantley would record 22 total tackles, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 11 games this season. It wasn't enough to get him drafted, but he is getting a shot as an undrafted free agent with the Bengals. If he can get back to being the All-SEC player he was in 2014, Brantley has a shot at eventually making an NFL roster.