Corey Waddell has left Canterbury amid their ongoing rebuild and will return to Manly on a one-year deal.
The 27-year-old forward made his NRL debut with the Sea Eagles in 2019 and played 36 of his 95 first-grade games there.
He joined the Bulldogs in 2021 to reunite with then-coach Trent Barrett, who mentored him in Penrith's junior system.
Waddell typically starts in the second row but coach Anthony Seibold indicated he could be used in the middle, with Josh Schuster and Haumole Okalau'atu unlikely to be ousted from the edges next season.
"The thing that interested me in Corey is his work ethic," said Seibold.
"He is a very hard worker. He adds a different sort of dimension to the middle forwards that we have already got."
Waddell joins Paul Alamoti, Jake Averillo, Kyle Flanagan, Jayden Okunbor, Franklin Pele and Luke Thompson in leaving Canterbury as part of a post-season clean-out.
