Bynes signed with the Bengals in March as an unrestricted free agent, and adds an experienced veteran voice to a young and revamped Bengals linebacker room ... Previously spent time with Baltimore, Detroit and Arizona ... Has played in 101 career games (47 starts), and has 356 tackles, 4.5 sacks, four INTs, two FFs and two FRs ... Has been part of four top-10 defenses, and four top-10 rush defenses ... Spent last season with Baltimore, and totaled 45 tackles, a sack, four PDs and two INTs ... Originally a college free agent signee of the Ravens in 2011, and bounced between the team's practice squad and active roster for two seasons before developing a steady role on defense.
Career transactions: Signed with Baltimore as a college free agent on 7-27-11 ... Waived by Ravens on 9-3-11 ... Signed to Ravens practice squad on 11-9-11 ... Signed to Ravens roster on 11-23-11 ... Waived by Ravens on 11-29-11 ... Signed to Ravens practice squad on 12-1-11 ... Signed to Ravens roster on 1-14-12 ... Re-signed as exclusive rights player with Ravens on 4-16-12 ... Waived by Ravens on 8-31-12 ... Signed to Ravens practice squad on 9-2-12 ... Signed to Ravens roster on 10-17-12 ... Re-signed as exclusive rights player with Ravens on 4-22-13 ... Re-signed as exclusive rights player with Ravens on 4-18-14 ... Waived by Ravens on 9-2-14 ... Signed to Ravens practice squad on 9-4-14 ... Signed as free agent with Detroit on 9-23-14 ... Re-signed as free agent with Lions on 3-13-15 ... Contract terminated by Lions (from Reserve/Injured list with injury settlement) on 9-10-16 ... Re-signed as free agent with Lions on 10-25-16 ... Signed as unrestricted free agent with Arizona on 8-5-17 ... Re-signed as unrestricted free agent with Cardinals on 3-14-18 ... Contract terminated by Cardinals on 3-6-19 ... Signed as free agent with Baltimore on 10-2-19 ... Signed as unrestricted free agent with Cincinnati on 3-25-20.
2019 highlights: Released by Arizona during the offseason, then signed as a free agent with Baltimore in October ... Played in 12 games (seven starts) for the Ravens, and totaled 45 tackles, a sack, four PDs and two INTs ... Intercepted a Deshaun Watson pass (six-yard return) on Nov. 17 vs. Houston that set up a Ravens FG drive ... Sacked Josh Allen in the first quarter on Dec. 8 at Buffalo ... Played in Ravens' divisional-round loss to Titans, and had six tackles.
Previous seasons: 2011—College free agent signee spent majority of season on Baltimore's practice squad, but did play in one game (no statistics) ... Made NFL debut on Thanksgiving Night, Nov. 24 vs. San Francisco, and saw time on special teams (no statistics) ... Did not play in postseason. 2012—Played in 10 games (three starts) for Baltimore ... Recorded 31 tackles and a PD on defense, and three tackles on special teams ... Played in all four of Ravens' postseason games, including Super Bowl, and recorded two special teams tackles ... Began season on Ravens' practice squad, before being promoted to the active roster on Oct. 17 ... Made first career start on Dec. 17 vs. Denver, and notched team-high 13 tackles ... Led team in tackles (nine) in season finale at Cincinnati ... Made tackle of Ted Ginn Jr. on kickoff return as time expired in Super Bowl XLVII, sealing a win for the Ravens. 2013—Played in 15 games (six starts) for Baltimore ... Recorded 41 tackles and three PDs on defense, and four tackles on special teams ... Notched season-high eight tackles in season-opener at Denver. 2014—Began season on Baltimore's practice squad, then was signed off the practice squad by Detroit in September ... Played in 13 games for Detroit, and totaled 19 tackles, an INT, a PD and a FR ... Also had three tackles on special teams ... Helped Lions rank second in the NFL in total defense (300.9 yards/game), and lead the NFL in rush defense (69.3) ... Made first career INT on Nov. 16 at Arizona, picking off Drew Stanton to thwart a Cardinals drive that had reached the Lions' 14-yard line ... Had one tackle in Lions' playoff loss to Cowboys. 2015—Played in all 16 games (11 starts) for Detroit, and had career-high 80 tackles, a half sack, five PDs and a FF ... Also had two tackles on special teams ... Recorded season-high 10 tackles on Oct. 18 vs. Chicago, along with one more tackle on special teams ... On Dec. 27 vs. San Francisco, recorded a shared sack (with DT Haloti Ngata) that forced a fumble by QB Blaine Gabbert, leading to a Lions TD on the following play. 2016—Played in nine games (eight starts) for Detroit, and totaled 38 tackles and four PDs ... Preseason knee injury landed him on Detroit's Reserve/Injured list on Sept. 4, then he was waived (injury settlement) on Sept. 10 ... Re-signed with the Lions as a free agent on Oct. 25, and started five days later at Houston and recorded three tackles ... Made first career postseason start in Lions' loss at Seattle, and had seven tackles. 2017—Joined Arizona as an unrestricted free agent, and went on to play in 14 games (one start) for the Cardinals ... Totaled 27 tackles, a sack, an INT, three PDs and a FF ... Also recorded nine tackles and a FF on special teams ... Helped the Cardinals rank sixth in the NFL in both total defense (310.9 yards/game) and rush defense (89.6) ... Took down Colts QB Jacoby Brissett for his first career full sack on Sept. 17 at Indianapolis, and also added a FF on special teams (Colts recovered) ... Filled in for injured Deone Bucannon on Nov. 26 vs. Jacksonville, and recorded team-high 10 tackles, including one for a loss, two PDs, and a FF that the Cardinals recovered and set up a drive that ended in a FG ... His INT of Marcus Mariota on Dec. 10 vs. Tennessee came with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and set up a Cardinals FG drive that helped seal a win ... Left Dec. 17 game at Washington with a left ankle injury that held him out of the final two games (inactive for both). 2018—Played and started 11 games for Arizona ... Recorded 75 tackles, two sacks, five PDs and a FR ... Tied for team lead with 11 tackles in season opener vs. Washington ... Again tied for team lead with 10 tackles on Sept. 23 vs. Chicago ... His 11 tackles on Oct. 7 at San Francisco included a 15-yard sack of C.J. Beathard on a third-and-six, and later in the contest he later recovered a Beathard fumble in the end zone for his first-career TD ... On Nov. 11 at Kansas City, recorded a seven-yard sack of Patrick Mahomes on third down that forced a Chiefs punt.
College: Spent four seasons (2007-10) at Auburn, and appeared in 43 games (35 starts) ... As a senior, helped Tigers win the 2011 BCS National Championship ... Three-year starter, and totaled 238 career tackles, 12 PDs and a FF.
Personal: Hometown is Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. (outside Fort Lauderdale) ... Attended Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes ... In just eight games as a senior, he racked up 110 tackles, four FFs, three FRs and two sacks, en route to Broward County Defensive Player of the Year honors ... Graduated from Auburn with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies.
NOTE ABOUT NFL EXPERIENCE: Bynes did not earn an accrued year of experience toward NFL free agency in 2011 because he was not on a 53-player roster, a Reserve/Injured list or a Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for the required minimum of six games.
