Bengals DL depth takes hit with Takkarist McKinley failing physical

The Bengals waived edge rusher Takkarist McKinney who they claimed from the Atlanta Falcons last week after he failed his physical.

Edge rusher Takkarist McKinney who was expected to add depth to the Bengals was waived on Tuesday after failing his physical. McKinney was claimed by Cincinnati last week after being waived by the Atlanta Falcons. McKinley was used sparingly in Atlanta before being claimed by the Bengals last week.

The McKinley era in Cincinnati was six days. In four games with Atlanta this season, McKinley had eight tackles, seven quarterback hits, one tackle for loss and one sack. In four NFL seasons, McKinley has 79 tackles,  45 QB hits, 22 TFLs and 17.5 sacks in 49 games with 25 starts.

McKinley was expected to be a situational pass rusher for the NFL’s second-worst team getting to the QB in 2020. Cincinnati is in a four-way tie for 28th with 11 sacks this season, two better than Jacksonville who has nine. McKinley was drafted 26th overall in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by Atlanta.

McKinley was expected to back up Sam Hubbard and Carl Lawson at defensive end. The Cincinnati depth at edge rusher was thin after trading Carlos Dunlap and when Hubbard missed three games in October. Hubbard returned for Sunday’s 36-10 loss at Pittsburgh and had three tackles and a pass breakup.

Hubbard played in 45 percent of the snaps against the Steelers. Hubbard had not played in less than 60 percent of the defensive snaps this season before being injured. Lawson has played in 64 percent of the Bengals defensive snaps in 2020. Lawson leads the Bengals with 3.5 sacks and 19 QB hits.

No one else on the Cincinnati defense has more than one sack or four QB hits. Lawson is tied with rookie linebacker Logan Wilson for the Bengals lead with 3.5 TFLs. The Bengals have a lot to fix in the offseason. Depth on the offensive and defensive lines will be the primary area of concern.