Bengals sign Mike Daniels to 1-year deal

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.

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 presumably passed both that and at least one COVID-19 test in order for the deal to be finalized.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters during his press conference today that he anticipated the team would sign Daniels in “the next day or so.” In order to make room for Daniels on the 80-man roster, the team waived rookie defensive tackle Tyler Clark, who was signed as a college free agent this offseason.

Daniels brings the active roster back to 80 players and the defensive line room to 12 players. The Bengals have waived Ryan Glasgow and watched Josh Tupou opt out of the 2020 season within the past two weeks, creating a need for depth along the interior defensive line.

Enter Daniels, who spent last season with the Detroit Lions. Daniels is entering his ninth NFL season after originally being a fourth-round pick out of Iowa in the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent his first seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, where he became one of the game’s best interior defensive lineman.

Multiple foot injuries have limited Daniels’ effectiveness over the course of the last two seasons. It’s why the Packers released him before the 2019 season and why the Lions didn’t retain him after the season. Now, Daniels is expected to be a rotational piece behind Geno Atkins at his natural 3-technique spot.

The role and contract for Daniels are both ideal for the Bengals, who have made several moves in an effort to improve their 30-ranked defense according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric.