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The Bengals’ depth at defensive tackle has all but been depleted.
After losing Ryan Glasgow, Josh Tupou and Renell Wren all before the season even began, the team has been without Geno Atkins since Week 1 and Mike Daniels since Week 2. It’s a battle of attrition, and despite signing Daniels and trading for Christian Covington, they’re losing by a lot.
But even before those moves were made, many fans have wondered if Cincinnati would sign Damon Harrison to shore up their depth. According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Bengals are indeed one of the few teams that have expressed interest in signing “Snacks”.
Former NFL All-Pro DT Damon “Snacks” Harrison, who openly contemplated retirement last year, has decided to play this season and is scheduled to visit next week with the Seahawks, per source. The 31-year-old Harrison also has received interest from the Bears, Packers and Bengals.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2020
During the late 2010s, Harrison was undeniably the best nose tackle in the NFL. In a span of four seasons from 2015-2018, he played with the New York Jets, New York Giants and Detroit Lions and had an average PFF defense grade of 90.7.
But that 2018 season was the last of Harrison’s prime. His grade dropped to a lowly 63.2 in his second season with the Lions in 2019, and the team released him this past February.
It was presumed that Harrison would retire starting this season, but the report from Schefter that surfaced on Thursday morning indicates that he could very well be back in the league this year.
While the Bengals have shown interest, there is no news on a visit being scheduled and they are far from the only team interested in him. We should get further updates on this story after Harrison visits the Seahawks next week.