Packers Reportedly Cut Former Pro Bowl DT Mike Daniels in Surprising Move
By Mark Powell
The Green Bay Packers' hectic offseason continues.
With new head coach Matt LaFleur at the helm, there was bound to be plenty of turnover at Lambeau. Yet, with training camp nearly set to begin, the Packers have made a move most of us didn't see coming which will impact their interior defensive line.
DT Mike Daniels, who was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2017, has been released by the team.
#Packers are releasing DL Mike Daniels, source says. Wowza.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 24, 2019
Green Bay initially wanted to trade Daniels to avoid his $8 million cap hit. At the age of 30, the Packers are banking that Daniels' best years are behind him, which may be a risky proposition for a team which suddenly lacks experience on the interior.
The #Packers explored a trade of Mike Daniels, source adds, but couldn’t make it happen. He was due $8.1m this season in base salary and roster bonuses. The #Browns, with all their former GB connections, figure to at least take a look after trying to sign Gerald McCoy.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 24, 2019
This puts even more pressure on Packers defensive end Dean Lowry, who the Packers signed to an extension on Monday. In the absence of Daniels and Mo Wilkerson last season, Lowry was actually quite impactful in limited playing time.
Lowry only had three sacks last year, but he had seven pressures and two QB hits, which made him an effective fill-in when Mike Daniels and Muhammad Wilkerson got hurt.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) July 23, 2019
Daniels is expected to have interest from the Cleveland Browns due to their brass having connections to Green Bay. Considering they missed out on Gerald McCoy earlier in the offseason, a move to Cleveland actually makes a lot of sense as Daniels searches for a new home.
In 2018, Daniels played in 10 games, making nine starts. He recorded 2.0 sacks, 18 tackles and 5 quarterback hits. It was a major down-year, marred by injury, and it seems that the Packers' no longer feel too confident in his ability in the trenches.