Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
Here are Friday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Minnesota Vikings
Seattle Seahawks
Bengals WR John Ross is stepping away from the team for a bit, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter). Ross’ son has tested positive for COVID-19, so Ross is heading to Los Angeles to care for him (the child’s mother has also tested positive). There is currently no timetable on Ross’ return, and the club is likely to place him on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Ross’ decision is admirable, especially since it comes during a pivotal time in his NFL career. The No. 9 overall pick of the 2017 draft, Ross has fallen well short of expectations to date, and Cincinnati made the easy call to decline his fifth-year option for 2021. So this will be a contract year for Ross, who could position himself well for a big payday next offseason if he can get on the field and start living up to his potential.
Of course, health has played a big part in Ross’ struggles to date. Due to various injuries and his inability to impress then-head coach Marvin Lewis, Ross played in just one game in his rookie campaign. Though he started 10 games in 2018, he managed only 21 catches for 210 yards — which was a disappointment in terms of both overall output and yards-per-catch average — and after a hot start to 2019, he missed another eight games due to injury.
Now, A.J. Green is back to full health and the Bengals added Tee Higgins in the second round of this year’s draft, so Ross may have struggled to carve out a ton of playing time anyway. His absence will only make things more difficult from a football perspective, but obviously the health of his family is of paramount importance.
Aug. 12: It’s a done deal, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Daniels has signed a one-year pact worth up to $2.7MM.
Aug. 11: Mike Daniels‘ Bengals visit will likely lead to a contract. Second-year HC Zac Taylor said Tuesday he expects the team to sign the veteran defensive lineman.
The former Packers and Lions lineman visited Cincinnati over the weekend. The revised CBA restricts teams from conducting visits for exploratory reasons, so a Daniels Ohio trek meant he was squarely on the franchise’s radar. His signing would continue the Bengals’ uncharacteristic offseason.
A team usually cautious with outside free agents has used the market to reshape its defense. Daniels will follow D.J. Reader, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander to Cincinnati. The Bengals look set to carry a seasoned D-tackle corps, with the team already employing Reader and perennial Pro Bowler Geno Atkins. This stands to help a defense that ranked 30th in DVOA last season.
A Daniels-Bengals agreement would also follow the Josh Tupou opt-out decision. The fourth-year contributor started seven games last season and played 467 defensive snaps. His choice to skip the 2020 campaign left the team lacking for depth on its defensive interior.
The Packers gave Daniels a high-end extension late during the 2015 season but released him last summer. The acclaimed inside pass rusher landed with the Lions and played but ended up playing just nine games and 18% of Detroit’s defensive snaps. The 31-year-old defender landed on IR in December. Overall, Daniels has 30 career sacks. He made the Pro Bowl in 2017.
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Los Angeles Rams
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes will receive a second opinion on his pectoral injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The early fear is that Waynes won’t be able to debut with his new team until late October, at the earliest. 
[RELATED: Bengals Meet With Mike Daniels]
The Bengals refused to allow Waynes to take an off-site physical, which kept his $15MM signing bonus in limbo. Waynes has passed the team physical, but the delay has prevented Waynes from his usual pre-season preparations. Now, with just a few weeks to go before the start of the season, it’s looking like the Bengals’ new star cornerback will be sidelined for a while.
Waynes’ three-year, $42MM deal is set to pay out $20MM in 2020. Now one of the league’s ten highest-paid cornerbacks, Waynes was expected to help lead a new look secondary that is without former first-rounders Darqueze Dennard and Dre Kirkpatrick.
Waynes has topped out at an above-average level – he’s never graded above 70.0 on Pro Football Focus’ scale in five seasons. Still, the Bengals see big potential in the 28-year-old. Along with D.J. Reader, he’s one of the team’s most notable free agent investments in years.
Former fifth-round pick Darius Phillips could take over nickel duties while Waynes heals up. In theory, the Bengals could also check in with veteran defensive back Logan Ryan.
The Bengals will meet with defensive tackle Mike Daniels this afternoon, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). If everything checks out, the Bengals are expected to sign the 31-year-old.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team]
Daniels, a former Pro Bowler, has had his last two seasons short by injury. The Ravens considered Daniels after the Michael Brockers deal fell through, but they would up finding edge help elsewhere and adding former Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe.
After getting released by the Packers last summer, Daniels inked a one-year, $9.1MM deal with the Lions. He appeared in only nine games with two starts before landing on injured reserve. This time around, the Iowa product figures to come at a much cheaper rate.
The Bengals could use some additional interior help after the opt out of Josh Tupou and the release of Ryan Glasgow. Daniels seems to be their pick, even though there are a number of notable defensive tackles still on the market. Marcell Dareus, Damon Harrison, Timmy Jernigan, Antwaun Woods, Sylvester Williams, Domata Peko and Corey Liuget are among those available as the season draws near.
A total of 67 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, leaving teams with major roster holes and newly-found cap space. Here’s the rundown of every team’s official cap figure, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
Per an agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, players with COVID-19 health concerns can opt out of the 2020 season. Initially, the deadline was believed to be Tuesday, August 4. Talks between the league and the union have pushed it to August 6.
Chiefs guard and medical school graduate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to officially opt out. Scores of players followed.
Here’s the rundown, so far:
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Football Team
Free agents
Back in May, Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin said that the team was interested in extending RB Joe Mixon, and unsurprisingly, his stance has not changed.
“[Mixon] is an important part of our team,” Tobin said, via Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He’s a piece that we’d like to get extended and have around here a long time. Typically, our extensions have gotten done during camp at some point.”
As Dragon observes, Tobin’s statement that the team usually extends players during training camp is noteworthy, as it suggests that the team could finalize something with Mixon in the coming weeks. Indeed, WR Tyler Boyd signed his extension shortly before camp opened last year, and Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap got new deals in August 2018.
For now, Mixon is set to play out the 2020 season on the final year of his rookie deal, which would pay him a salary of just $1.2MM. Given his importance to the team and his performance to date, that would be a major underpay.
However, the 24-year-old is not necessarily trying to break the bank. Per Dragon’s sources, Mixon is hoping his next deal will land him among the eight highest-paid running backs in the league. That would mean an average annual value of at least $8MM, which seems like a reasonable ask.
At present, the Bengals have about $24MM of cap room, but with the salary cap set to drop significantly in 2021, any rollover money would be helpful. Still, the team’s cap situation shouldn’t be an obstacle to a Mixon extension.
Mixon’s YPC average dropped to 4.1 last season after a very strong 4.9 mark in 2018, but he didn’t have much talent around him. With A.J. Green back in the fold and Joe Burrow under center, Mixon — who has posted back-to-back seasons with over 1,100 rushing yards — could be in for a big year.