Travis Bell (born October 27, 1998) 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 ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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for the

Kennesaw State Owls The Kennesaw State Owls fields 16 varsity athletics teams, competing for Kennesaw State University. After spending ten years in Division II's Peach Belt Conference, the university fully transitioned to Division I status in the National Colle ...

and was selected by the Bears in the seventh round of the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

Early life

Bell was born on October 27, 1998, and grew up in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. He attended Jefferson Davis High School and was a four-year

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. He posted 20.0 sacks and 229

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across his four seasons at Jefferson Davis, including 80 tackles and 9.0 sacks in only eight games as a

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. Bell helped Jefferson Davis reach the playoffs in his final two years. Off the field, Bell posted a perfect 4.0

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in his last semester. A two-star recruit, he committed to play

for the

College career

Bell saw immediate playing time at Kennesaw State and was a starter in his first season, compiling 24 tackles as a true

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and helping them reach the

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playoffs. The following season, he appeared in 13 games, eight of which he started, and helped them rank as the third-best team nationally in total defense while posting 30 tackles, 5.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles-for-loss. The 2020 season was postponed to spring 2021 due to the

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, and in it he appeared in four games with 11 stops, two tackles-for-loss and a half-sack. Bell made 4.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles-for-loss in 2021, earning second-team All-

Big South Conference The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), ...

honors. He returned for a final season in 2022, and recorded in 11 games 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks. He finished his stint at Kennesaw State with 11 sacks and 24.5 tackles-for-loss in 54 games played.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Bell was not invited to the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, and posted at his

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30 bench press reps.

Chicago Bears (first stint)

Bell was selected in the seventh round (218th overall) of the

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 ...

, becoming the first player in his school's history to be selected. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad.

Atlanta Falcons

On November 1, 2023, Bell was signed by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

off the Bears practice squad. He was released on December 19.

Cincinnati Bengals

On December 19, 2023, Bell was claimed off waivers by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 27, 2024.

Chicago Bears (second stint)

On September 26, Bell signed with the Bears practice squad. He was released on October 15.

Minnesota Vikings

On November 6, 2024, Bell was signed to the

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 16, 2025.

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bioKennesaw State Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Travis 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Montgomery, Alabama American football defensive tackles Kennesaw State Owls football players Chicago Bears players Atlanta Falcons players Cincinnati Bengals players Minnesota Vikings players