Zackary Dalton Bailey (born November 8, 1995) 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 guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

. 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 ...

for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

and was signed by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

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 ...

in . He later had stints with 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 ...

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 ...

, and Washington Football Team / Commanders.

Early life and education

Bailey was born on November 8, 1995, and grew up in

Summerville, South Carolina Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County, South Carolina, Dorchester County, with small portions in Berkeley County, South Carolina, Berkeley and Charleston County, South Carolina, Charleston ...

. He attended

Summerville High School Summerville High School is a public high school in Summerville, South Carolina. History Until the 1960s, a brick building on Main Street, which was once Rollings Middle School of the Arts, and now is the district building for all schools in t ...

, where he played

for coach

John McKissick John McKissick (September 25, 1926 – November 28, 2019) was a head football coach of Summerville High School in Summerville, South Carolina. In 2012, he became the first American football coach in history (high school, college, or professional ...

, the all-time most winningest coach at any level. He played

left guard In American football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is an offensive line player who lines up between the center and the tackles. Like other offensive line positions, guards are used primarily for blocking. Right ...

and helped them reach the second round of the playoffs as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, being a finalist for the state "Mr. Football" award. Rivals.com ranked him a four-star prospect and the second-best player in the state, as well as the fifth-best offensive guard nationally. He had numerous scholarship offers after graduating in 2015, and decided to enroll at

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. As a true

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

in 2015, Bailey appeared in 12 games and started five, two of those at left guard and the remaining three as a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. The following year, he was South Carolina's "most consistent and highest performing offensive lineman," starting every game at left guard, several as a team captain, and being named the co-winner of the Offensive Tenacity Award (with

Hayden Hurst Hayden Randle Hurst (born August 24, 1993) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. Early life ...

). He changed his position from interior lineman to

right tackle A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and Defensive tackle, defense. In the modern system of ...

as a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

in 2017. In 2017, Bailey appeared in nine games, all but one as a starter, missing four after an injury in the third match of the season (against

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

). He was selected to the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) Fall Academic Honor Roll and was named by the league's coaches a third-team all-conference player. After contemplating whether to enter the

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

or return for a senior season, Bailey opted to return to the team in 2018 so he could get a degree, becoming the first member of his family to do so. As a senior, Bailey returned to his former position of left guard and was named team captain, starting 12 games and being named second-team all-conference by the league's coaches and

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(AP). He was given the Offensive Tenacity Award and was selected to the East–West Shrine All-Star game. In the regular season finale, he suffered a broken right fibula, and as a result missed the

Belk Bowl The Duke's Mayo Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2002. Originally commissioned as the Queen City Bowl, it has undergone many name changes due to spon ...

. Bailey graduated in December 2018 with a degree in criminal justice, finishing his college career with 46 games played and 38 starts.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bailey was 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 ...

, but was only able to participate in three events due to his injury. He went unselected in the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

, but afterwards was signed as an

by the

. He was the only undrafted rookie to make the final roster, but suffered an injury shortly afterwards and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. At the final roster cuts in , Bailey was released, but afterwards re-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 ...

. He was released from the practice squad on November 3.

Minnesota Vikings

While a free agent, Bailey received tryouts from the

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

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, and

. He was signed to the Vikings' practice squad on December 8. Bailey was signed to a futures contract in January 2021. He was waived at the final roster cuts in , but was subsequently re-signed to the practice squad. He was released from the Vikings' practice squad on October 13, 2021.

Indianapolis Colts

Two days after being released by the Vikings, Bailey was signed to the practice squad of the

. He was then released on October 26. He received a tryout from the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

after being released by the Colts.

Washington Football Team / Washington Commanders

On November 2, 2021, Bailey was signed by the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

to the practice squad. He was placed on the

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 ...

reserve list on December 23, and activated one week later. Bailey received a reserve/future contract with the team on January 15, 2022. Bailey was released by Washington on May 16.

Los Angeles Chargers

On May 17, 2022, Bailey was claimed off waivers by the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. He was waived at the final roster cuts in August, but was afterwards brought back on the practice squad. He received an elevation to the active roster for the Chargers' Week 13 game against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, and made his NFL debut in the loss, appearing on four

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

snaps. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 17, 2023. On August 29, 2023, Bailey was waived by the Chargers and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 23. He was placed on injured reserve on December 9.

Atlanta Falcons

On July 24, 2024, Bailey 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 ...

. He was waived on August 25.

New York Jets

On November 5, 2024, Bailey was signed to the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with New York on January 6, 2025. On June 12, Bailey was waived by the Jets.

External links

South Carolina bio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Zack 1995 births Living people American football offensive guards American football centers American football offensive tackles Players of American football from Summerville, South Carolina Players of American football from Berkeley County, South Carolina South Carolina Gamecocks football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Minnesota Vikings players Indianapolis Colts players Washington Football Team players Washington Commanders players Los Angeles Chargers players Atlanta Falcons players New York Jets players