Former Indianapolis Colts’ defensive end Taven Bryan has landed with a new team, signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Mike Garafolo.
A former first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018, Bryan had spent the past two seasons in Indianapolis. During that span, he appeared in all 34 games, which included making 17 starts.
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Behind DeForest Buckner and Grove Stewart, he was a regular member of the defensive tackle rotation.
However, this offseason, with Bryan a free agent, the Colts went in a different direction with their defensive tackle depth. They chose not to re-sign Bryan and also released Raekwon Davis.
From both Bryan and Davis, the Colts didn’t get enough production. Out of 124 eligible interior defenders, Bryan ranked 96th in PFF’s pass rush win rate metric. Against the run, he ranked 120th out of 149 defensive tackles in run-stop rate.
Reshaping the depth behind Buckner and Stewart, GM Chris Ballard signed Neville Gallimore in free agency, drafted Tim Smith, and claimed Eric Johnson on waivers. The trio will join Adetomiwa Adebawore and compete for playing time.
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The addition of Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator can hopefully help elevate the play behind Buckner and Stewart as well.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Former Colts’ DT Taven Bryan signs with Bengals as a free agent