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DT Tony McDaniel, cut by Seahawks, eager to play for Bucs

 
Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, right, embarks on his 10th NFL season with a new team after the Bucs signed him on Monday.
Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, right, embarks on his 10th NFL season with a new team after the Bucs signed him on Monday.
Published Aug. 12, 2015

TAMPA — On a map, in the standings, there weren't many teams farther apart this past year than the Bucs, coming off a 2-14 season, and the Seahawks, coming off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

Tony McDaniel hopes to bring the two a little closer.

The 30-year-old defensive tackle, cut by Seattle nine days ago in a salary-cap move, said he had about 12 NFL teams calling him as a free agent. But he liked his opportunity with the Bucs, where he can earn up to $2.5 million on a one-year deal.

"I like the chance to go to a place and change things, instead of going to a team that's already there," said McDaniel, who at 6 feet 7, 315 pounds brings the versatility to play at nose tackle, three-technique and some defensive end. "I'd rather come to a team that's on the verge of being really great and help change things."

McDaniel is the second defensive tackle to move from Seattle to Tampa in as many years. Last year Clinton McDonald signed with the Bucs and started 13 games, finishing with five sacks and a career-high 45 tackles.

"He brings a dominant attitude, he brings strength in the interior line and he brings versatility, as far as him being a nose, a three and an anchor end," McDonald said. "I think he wanted to be here. I told him it was hot, first and foremost, that it's physically demanding, but Coach Lovie (Smith) and (defensive line) Coach Joe Cullen want to get the best out of us and he was prepared and ready for the challenge. We welcome him with open arms."

McDaniel started 29 of 32 regular-season games in two years in Seattle after seven years as a backup with the Dolphins and Jaguars. He had 84 tackles in those two seasons, but said his job is often to clog up the middle and set teammates up for big plays.

"The defensive line is already pretty solid here, and I think I bring some more toughness," he said. "Having me here, we can win a lot more ballgames. It's my job to eat up blockers so my linebackers can run around and make plays."

A year ago, Smith liked McDonald bringing a winning mentality from Seattle to Tampa, and he seeks the same thing now with McDaniel, whose size should bring an immediate impact.

"Big body, a 315-pound guy that can clog up the middle a little bit," Smith said. "Most nose guards we've played haven't had that kind of height. That's a big wall in front of the quarterback. He's played in the league for a long time, with good reason. It's a good football player we've added to our team."

McDaniel has found familiar faces with Tampa Bay — he and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter overlapped with the Jaguars in 2006-07, and he played in Jacksonville alongside Paul Spicer, now the Bucs' assistant defensive line coach.

He also talked with former Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett, a teammate in Seattle, about the chance to line up with Gerald McCoy, and Bennett helped sell McDaniel on coming to Tampa.

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"(Bennett) said Tampa was a great place," he said. "He even said he wishes he could come back down here."

The Bucs have many players motivated by being cut by other teams. Seattle needed cap help after giving $10-million-per-year deals to quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner, but McDonald will remember that.

"I was a little shocked," he said. "They said they had no cap space, but hey, I've got a new home now. You always have an edge when a team releases you. I just wish we played them, so I could really show them."

Contact Greg Auman at gauman@tampabay.com and (813) 310-2690. Follow @gregauman.