The Cleveland Browns have agreed to a one-year deal worth about $4 million with defensive end Takk McKinley, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
McKinley had a difficult 2020 season.
It started with the Atlanta Falcons, the team that selected him No. 26 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. But the Falcons waived him Nov. 10 when he criticized the front office for not trading him before the trade deadline.
McKinley, 25, was upset in the offseason when Atlanta failed to pick up the fifth-year option (worth $10.05 million) of his rookie contract. Bothered by a groin injury, he played in just four games and took part in only 85 defensive snaps for the Falcons. He recorded eight tackles and one sack.
The season ended in a similarly rocky fashion. The Cincinnati Bengals claimed him off waivers, then returned him to waivers after a failed physical. The San Francisco 49ers then took him and released him days later. The Las Vegas Raiders picked him up and put him on injured reserve.
McKinley had 79 tackles and 17.5 sacks in 49 games (25 starts) in four seasons with the Falcons. He recorded six sacks as a rookie and a career-best seven in 2018 before his production fell off.
