By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
NFL defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, a former Jacksonville Red Devil and Memphis Tiger, was traded Monday from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Kelly Jennings. The Bengals were deep on the defensive line and needed help in the defensive secondary, while the Seahawks were thin on the defensive front and had been increasingly unhappy with Jennings’ performance since taking him as their No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft out of the University of Miami.
McDonald is beginning his third year as a professional after being taken in the seventh round by the Bengals in 2009. He was on the practice squad his rookie season and cut from the team during preseason last year. The Bengals had no intention of giving McDonald up, however, and quickly resigned him back to the practice squad. His progress during last season eventually earned him a spot on the regular lineup by week eight. He played spot duty the rest of the season, earning four tackles.
So far this preseason, McDonald has looked better than ever. He recorded eight tackles in Cincinnati’s first preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
In the second game against the New York Jets, he recorded two solo tackles, two assists and a sack.
Bengals’ coach Marvin Lewis told Cincinnati reporters that it wasn’t easy giving up McDonald because of his recent rapid progress at defensive tackle, and because of his locker room character.
Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who worked more closely with McDonald, expounded on what McDonald meant to the team.
“Clinton is a tremendous person. A good player. A good guy in the locker room,” Zimmer said. “We’ll miss him. He’s one of the good guys to have on the team. It’s one of these situations we have to try and get the team better.”
It was the first player-for-player trade made by the Bengals in 21 years. McDonald moves from a team considered to be loaded with talent but underachieving, to a team that little was expected of last year, but won the division, made the playoffs and beat defending super bowl champion New Orleans in the first round.
