A veteran interior defensive lineman with power and pass-rushing ability, Daniels joined the Bengals as a free agent during 2020 training camp ... Played and started 11 games in 2020, and totaled 17 tackles ... Missed time with groin, elbow and COVID-19 issues in 2020, but when healthy proved to be a stout force and valuable veteran presence along the line ... Saw increased action at NT last season after starter D.J. Reader suffered season-ending injury in Game 5 ... Originally a fourth-round pick of Green Bay in 2012, and spent his first seven seasons ('12-18) with the Packers before joining Detroit for one year ('19) ... Earned Pro Bowl nod in 2017 with Green Bay.
Career transactions: Selected by Green Bay in fourth round of 2012 NFL Draft (132nd overall) ... Signed with Packers on 5-11-12 ... Signed contract extension with Packers on 12-14-15 ... Contract terminated by Packers on 7-24-19 ... Signed with Detroit as free agent on 7-27-19 ... Lions contract expired on 3-18-20; became unrestricted free agent ... Not asked to re-sign; became free agent on 4-27-20 ... Signed with Cincinnati as free agent on 8-12-20 ... Bengals contract expired on 3-17-21; became unrestricted free agent ... Re-signed with Bengals as unrestricted free agent on 3-31-21.
2020 highlights: Signed with Cincinnati as a free agent on Aug. 12, and went on to play and start 11 games for Bengals ... Totaled 17 tackles ... Made two starts at DT (Games 1, 3) and then nine starts at NT (Games 7-15) after starting NT D.J. Reader suffered a season-ending injury in Game 5 ... Inactive (groin) for Game 2, spent Games 4-6 on Reserve/Injured (elbow), and was on Reserve/COVID-19 for season finale vs. Baltimore ... Made two tackles in Bengals debut on Sept. 13 vs. L.A. Chargers ... Posted season-high five tackles on Nov. 29 vs. N.Y. Giants.
Previous seasons: 2012—Played in 14 games (no starts) as a rookie for Green Bay, despite missing most of offseason program while recovering from shoulder surgery ... Recorded 12 tackles, two sacks, a PD and two FRs (one returned for a TD) ... Made NFL debut on Sept. 13 vs. Chicago, appearing on 14 plays and recording a sack of Bears QB Jay Cutler ... Made first career FR on Nov. 18 at Detroit, falling on a ball that was slapped from the grip of Lions QB Matthew Stafford ... Recovered another Stafford fumble on Dec. 9 vs. Detroit, and this time he returned it 43 yards for a TD. It was the longest FR return for a TD by a rookie in Packers history, and he was the first Packers DL to score on a fumble return since 1941 ... Played in both of Packers' postseason contests, and totaled three tackles. 2013—Played in all 16 games (one start) for the Packers ... Recorded 23 tackles and career-high 6.5 sacks ... First sack of season came on Sept. 22 at Cincinnati, when he dropped Andy Dalton for a three-yard loss .... Posted two sacks on Oct. 27 at Minnesota, taking down Christian Ponder on both occasions ... Started Packers' only postseason game, and recorded five tackles and a sack of 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick. 2014—Started all 16 games for the Packers, and recorded 41 tackles and 5.5 sacks ... Contributed to a run defense that allowed 86.4 yards per game over the final eight contests, No. 5 in the NFL over that span, and 3.6 yards per carry, No. 6 in the league over that span ... Had 1.5 sacks on Oct. 2 vs. Minnesota, taking down Christian Ponder on both occasions ... Late in the fourth quarter on Nov. 30 vs. New England, with the Packers leading by five points, took down QB Tom Brady for a nine-yard sack that forced Patriots to settle for a FG ... Started both of the Packers' postseason games, and recorded six tackles and a half sack of Dallas QB Tony Romo. 2015—Started all 16 games for the Packers ... Recorded 49 tackles, four sacks, two PDs, an INT and a FF ... Recorded 1.5 sacks of Alex Smith on Sept. 28 vs. Kansas City, including a sack/fumble (Chiefs recovered) ... Posted first career INT on Dec. 27 at Arizona, when he stepped back to pick off a Carson Palmer Screen pass ... Started both of the Packers' postseason games, and recorded three tackles and a sack of Cardinals QB Carson Palmer. 2016—Started all 16 games for the Packers ... Recorded 33 tackles, four sacks, a PD and a FR ... Helped defense rank eighth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (94.7) ... Recorded a sack of Sam Bradford on Dec. 24 vs. Minnesota, and later recovered a fumble that set up a Packers TD ... Started all three of the Packers' playoff games, and recorded 10 tackles. 2017—Played and started 14 games for the Packers ... Totaled 49 tackles, five sacks and a PD, and was selected to first career Pro Bowl ... Inactive due to hip injury on Sept. 24 vs. Bengals, marking first career game he missed due to injury and snapping streak of 77 consecutive games played ... Named Packers' nominee for Ed Block Courage Award. 2018—Played in 10 games (nine starts) for the Packers ... Totaled 18 tackles, two sacks and a PD ... Recorded a 10-yard sack Tom Brady on a third down Nov. 4 at New England, forcing a Patriots punt ... Missed final six games with a foot injury. 2019—Released by Green Bay in July and then signed as a free agent with Detroit ... Played in nine games (two starts) for the Lions ... Totaled 10 tackles and a sack ... Limited by a foot injury, which landed him on Reserve/Injured for the final two games.
College: Spent five seasons (2007-11) at Iowa, with a redshirt year in '07 ... Appeared in 47 career games (21 starts), and totaled 123 tackles, including 27 for losses and 15.5 sacks ... Played in four bowl games, and helped Hawkeyes to wins in three of them ... Team captain as a senior in 2011, and posted nine sacks en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors (coaches).
Personal: Hometown is Stratford, N.J. (outside Philadelphia) ... Attended Highland Regional High School in Blackwood, N.J., where he played both DL and RB ... First-team all-conference as a senior in 2006, after recording 12 sacks on defense and rushing for 1029 yards and 12 TDs on offense ... Also lettered four years in track and field, and three years in wrestling ... His father, Mike Sr., played baseball at Rutgers-Camden University, and his brother, Sean, played LB at Temple and spent time in the Arena Football League ... Participated in the NFL Personal Finance Camp curing 2016 offseason ... Has hosted the Mike Daniels Youth Football Camp during NFL offseasons in both Wisconsin and New Jersey ... Sociology major at Iowa.
