The Cincinnati Bengals have acquired defensive end Takkarist McKinley off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced Wednesday.
McKinley (6-2, 265), a fourth-year player out of UCLA, originally was a first-round draft pick of the Falcons in 2017. He has played in 49 career games, and has 76 tackles, 17.5 sacks, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. The Falcons waived him Tuesday.
The Bengals were in need of more depth at defensive end following the trade of Carlos Dunlap. McKinley is on the final year of his deal, so this is a very low-risk move by the Bengals that could bolster their pass rush.
This season, McKinley has record a 69.8 Pro Football Focus grade, which would be one of the higher marks of any Bengals defender this season. He finished 2019 with a 67.0 grade.
In addition, the Bengals today placed practice squad cornerback Brian Allen on the Reserve/Covid-19 list.
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