Mike Daniels Expected to Miss Significant Time

The Bengals defensive line continues to be plagued by injuries

CINCINNATI — The Bengals completely remade their defense this offseason in hopes of being a much better unit in 2020. Unfortunately, the injury bug continues to bite them. 

That theme continued this week, as veteran defensive tackle Mike Daniels suffered an elbow injury during Thursday's practice. He's expected to miss anywhere from three to eight weeks with the injury according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. 

The Bengals signed Daniels in early August after Josh Tupou opted out and Ryan Glasgow failed his physical. 

Signing the 31-year-old was a game changer for a defense that also lost Renell Wren to a quad injury in the middle of August just as camp was ramping up.

The Bengals envisioned Daniels being the third wheel on the interior of a defensive line led by DJ Reader and Geno Atkins. 

The trio hasn't been active together. Atkins continues to recover from a shoulder injury he suffered in training camp and will miss Sunday's game against Jacksonville. He was limited in practice this week, so there's hope he could play in Week 5 against Baltimore.  

Daniels missed Week 2 against the Browns due to a groin injury. The Bengals allowed 215 rushing yards to Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. 

Cincinnati will likely activate a defensive tackle from the practice squad for the fourth consecutive game. Amani Bledsoe, Freedom Akinmoladun and Kahlil McKenzie have all gotten opportunities. Bledsoe is on the 53-man roster, which means McKenzie or Akinmoladun could be active against the Jaguars.

Look for the Bengals to dip their toe back into the free agent market in the near future following Daniels' diagnosis. 

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