Bengals deal with Mike Daniels expected to be finalized in near future
CINCINNATI — The Bengals are expected to finalize an agreement with defensive tackle Mike Daniels in the coming days.
"I don't know that it will be today, but it will be shortly," head coach Zac Taylor said when asked about officially signing the veteran.
Daniels arrived in Cincinnati for his physical on Monday. He still needs to go through the NFL's COVID-19 safety protocol before he can join the team.
He fills a void that the Bengals desperately needed to address. The team had just one experienced nose tackle on the roster after Josh Tupou opted out of the 2020 season.
Daniels, 31, made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and was dominant in the middle of the Packers defense for most of the 2010s.
He signed with Detroit in free agency prior to the 2019 season. He finished with just 10 tackles and one sack in nine games, but still received a 70.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. PFF believes in the veteran. They gave him a career grade of 86.0 overall.
Daniels has worked on his body this offseason, in hopes of bouncing back and playing at a high level. He posted a video of himself doing a 44-inch box jump, just one day after he squatted 515 pounds.
Daniels has a chance to have instant success alongside Geno Atkins and D.J. Reader. He doesn't have to be the man like he was in Green Bay. The Bengals are hoping he can be an adequate compliment to their star defensive tackles.
The Bengals waived defensive tackle Tyler Clark on Tuesday, which gives them an open roster spot so they can sign Daniels.
For more on the Bengals, including the latest training camp news, go here!
