Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Buccaneers worth up to $2.5MM, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). McDaniel was slated to earn that same amount with the Seahawks, so he’ll now have the opportunity to match that if he reaches certain incentives.
Since joining the Seahawks prior to the 2013 season, McDaniel has been a full-time starter in the middle of the team’s defensive line, starting 29 contests during that stretch. He played on 413 snaps last year, posting 17 tackles, but didn’t grade too well according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranked McDaniel as a bottom-10 defensive tackle.
As a vested veteran, McDaniel did not need to pass through waivers before signing with another club. The 30-year-old was scheduled to earn a $2.5MM base salary in 2015 and when combined with his prorated roster bonus and workout bonus, he would have counted $3.625MM against Seattle’s cap. By cutting him in August, the club cleared out that total except for his roster bonus, saving $3MM in the process.
Several other clubs, including the Raiders, have been linked to McDaniel in the past week.
Interesting transition for McDaniel, going from starting on the NFC’s reigning champion to potentially being a depth cog on the one coming off a two-win slate. The Bucs have a deep DT corps now, with Melton and Clinton McDonald being pretty good complementary pieces already around McCoy.
Yeah, I’m surprised that McDaniel didn’t try to find a team where he could see more playing time. But maybe the Bucs were the only team willing to offer this salary.