Bengals claim DE Takkarist McKinley off waivers

Defensive end Takkarist McKinley didn't remain available for long. 

The Cincinnati Bengals confirmed on Wednesday that they acquired the 25-year-old off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta waived McKinley on Monday, ending a relationship that began in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and ended both strangely and publicly.

McKinley appeared well worth the draft value when he notched 13 sacks across the first two seasons of his Atlanta tenure. However, his production dropped when he recorded only 3.5 sacks in 2019, and a lingering groin injury limited him this fall and cost him multiple games. 

He tallied one sack, eight total tackles and a pass defended in four contests this year until Atlanta waived him. 

The Falcons kept McKinley out of the lineup for a game against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 29 amid rumors that he could be shopped before the trade deadline on the afternoon of Nov. 3. McKinley tweeted about his trade requests both before and after the deadline, social-media actions that reportedly earned him an undisclosed fine from the Falcons.

Atlanta already declined the fifth-year option on McKinley's contract before the start of the season.