The Cincinnati Bengals added undrafted rookie defensive lineman Dare Odeyingbo to the roster Wednesday off waivers.
Odeyingbo arrives just in time for the team’s preseason game Thursday against the Washington Redskins. Here are three things to know about the new arrival.
Odeyingbo was a force in college…
Odeyingbo earned a starting gig as a sophomore in 2016 at Vanderbilt and never looked back. He didn’t miss a game for three straight seasons, playing the end and racking up pressures and sacks. As a senior, he put up 28 tackles, 15 solo stops, an interception, a hurry and 1.5 tackles for loss.
…and at his Pro Day
Odeyingbo is the classic “small” defensive lineman at 6’2″ and 282 pounds. At his pro day, he repped 225 pounds on the bench press 22 times and ran a 4.91 40-yard dash. A combination of agility and leverage on film had NFL teams interested once he fell out of the draft.
He left Tampa Bay for injury reasons and arrives in Cincinnati for the same
The Buccaneers had serious injury problems at safety on the depth chart, so they waived Odeyingbo and signed Darian Stewart. The Bengals scooped up Odeyingbo after sending Niles Scott to injured reserve and with Christian Ringo’s status in doubt. The claim here suggests the Bengals might have been one of those teams with post-draft interest as well, though Odeyingbo was free to choose where he wanted to go.
