Seahawks sign Tony McDaniel: Why the veteran DT is thanking Snapchat for his NFL reunion

The Seattle Seahawks brought back veteran defensive tackle Tony McDaniel on a one-year deal on Monday. McDaniel spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he’s quietly been available as a free agent all year with few reports of interest. But that changed last week thanks to social media, and that of a simple Snapchat, of all things.

McDaniel sent a Snapchat of himself at TSA in Atlanta last week, which was seen by his agent David Canter, who then asked him where he was headed. The answer was Seattle, where he spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons, simply to see friends and family. But Canter let his “I’m an agent, after all” wheels turn in his head and got on the phone with the Seahawks, exchanging texts with director of pro personnel Dan Morgan.

As reported by ESPN’s Sheil Kapadia:

"I said to them last week, 'Hey, Tony's going to be in town. It's a free workout. Worst-case scenario, you bring him in, he looks like crap, he stays home. You don't even have to pay for a flight.' "

With no risk to themselves, the Seahawks gave McDaniel a workout, liked what they saw enough to sign him to a deal, and really don’t have to do anything but sit back and see if he can win back a job with a defense over some younger (McDaniel is now 31) players. It is likely also in response to the fact that Sealver Siliga has missed considerable time with a calf injury. McDaniel will now compete in a group that includes Ahtyba Rubin, Quentin Jefferson, Jarran Reed, Jordan Hill, and Brandin Bryant, among others. Consider that even though McDaniel was in Seattle as recently as 2014, Hill is the only other defensive tackle he’s actually played with that’s still on the Seahawks.

McDaniel went undrafted in 2006 before spending three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and then four more seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He then played in Seattle for two years before his most recent season with the Bucs, in which he had 25 tackles and one sack in 14 games; the two most effective seasons in his career were likely the two he spent with the Seahawks.