Bengals swipe LB Devin Harper from Cowboys off waivers

The Cincinnati Bengals have claimed linebacker Devin Harper from the Dallas Cowboys.

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the Cowboys had hoped to move Harper onto the practice squad if he cleared waivers.

Clearly, that’s not happening, as the Bengals saw fit to place him on their 53-man roster.

Harper, a sixth-round pick by Dallas in 2022, appeared in three games as a rookie before going on season-ending injured reserve.

This move comes at a time that Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither keeps popping up on the injury report, so it might be insurance related to that consistent storyline for the defense so far.

The Athletic’s Jon Machota noted how the Cowboys wanted to keep Harper:

LB Devin Harper was released by the Cowboys yesterday. They’re hoping he clears waivers and they can add him back today. Mike McCarthy: “My goal is to keep all of the players, but sometimes you got to make moves based on other positional needs.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 29, 2023

The Bengals placed rookie wideout Charlie Jones on injured reserve to make room.