Badara Traore (born March 12, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Early life

Traore was born to Bakary Traore and Rouguiatou Kaba, both African immigrants, and grew up in

Hyde Park, Massachusetts Hyde Park is the southernmost neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Situated 7.9 miles south of downtown Boston, it is home to a diverse range of people, housing types and social groups. It is an urban location with suburban ch ...

. He attended

Matignon High School The Cambridge Matignon School (originally Father Matignon High School) was a private, co-educational Roman Catholic college-preparatory school in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. The school was under the auspices of the ...

, where he played on the football and basketball teams and commuted two hours each way.

College career

Traore played two seasons at

ASA College ASA College was a private for-profit college in New York City and Hialeah, Florida. The college had three campuses: Midtown Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn in New York, and Hialeah in Florida. It offered associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, an ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. In 2018, he transferred to

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

to continue his collegiate football career, turning down offers from 26 schools, including Oklahoma, Auburn, and Texas. In his first season at LSU, he played in all 13 games, starting 2 of them, and was referred to as "one of the most improved players on the team" by head coach

Ed Orgeron Edward James Orgeron Jr. (; born July 27, 1961), nicknamed "Coach O", is an American former American football, college football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU), a position he held from midw ...

. Going into his senior year, Traore served as the backup right tackle to Austin Deculus and took snaps on special teams. During his final season at LSU, he played in 13 games and earned 3 starts against Georgia Southern, Ole Miss, and Arkansas (one at left tackle and two at right tackle).

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Traore was signed by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

following the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

on April 25, 2020. He was waived on September 5, 2020, and was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the following day. On October 10, 2020, Traore was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bears on January 11, 2021. On August 24, 2021, he was waived by the Bears.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On August 25, 2021, Traore was claimed off waivers by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. Traore made his NFL debut on January 9, 2022, against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2022. On August 29, 2022, Traore was waived by the Jaguars.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 1, 2022, Traore was signed to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

practice squad. On October 29, 2022, he was elevated to the active roster. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023. On August 29, 2023, Traore was released by the Cardinals as part of final roster cuts before the start of the 2023 season.

Carolina Panthers

On December 18, 2023, Traore signed a letter of intent to join the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

of the XFL for the upcoming 2024 season. The next day, Traore was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024. He was waived/injured on August 22. Traore was waived by the Panthers with an injury settlement on August 22, 2024.

DC Defenders

On January 23, 2025, Traore signed with the

of the United Football League (UFL). He was released on March 20, 2025.

Personal life

Traore graduated from Louisiana State University in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies. He has a younger brother, Boubacar, who played defensive end at Catholic Memorial School in West Roxbury, MA; and began playing for Notre Dame in 2023.

References

External links

LSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traore, Badara 1997 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen Sportspeople from Greater Boston Players of American football from Boston American football offensive linemen LSU Tigers football players Chicago Bears players Jacksonville Jaguars players Arizona Cardinals players Carolina Panthers players DC Defenders players