Bengals waive Jordan Willis to sign LaRoy Reynolds

The Bengals are making a pair of roster moves, one of which involves a former third-round pick being waived.

According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, the Bengals are waiving defensive end Jordan Willis. In a corresponding move, the Bengals signed free agent linebacker LaRoy Reynolds. The Bengal have since confirmed both roster moves.

Willis, a third-year player, saw action in 32 games with the Bengals since joining the team as a third-round draft pick out of Kansas State in the 2017 NFL Draft. It’s an unfortunate end for Willis, who showed flashes of becoming a solid run defender, but his inability to generate any semblance of a pass rush made it hard to keep him on a 53-man roster that had 11 defensive lineman in Week 1.

Reynolds (6-1, 228), a seventh-year player out of the University of Virginia, was originally a college free agent signee of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013. He has spent time with the Jaguars (2013-15), Chicago Bears (’15), Atlanta Falcons (’16-17) and Philadelphia Eagles (’18).

Reynolds has played in 84 career games (seven starts), and has 81 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He was with the San Francisco 49ers this preseason, but was released during final cuts. The Bengals host the 49ers in Week 2.

The addition of Reynolds will hopefully help solidify a linebacker group that’s easily the weakest and thinnest position on the roster. The only other linebackers currently on the roster are Nick Vigil, Preston Brown, Jordan Evans and rookie Germaine Pratt.