Bengals WR Kwamie Lassiter II catches first NFL pass against his dad's former team
The name Kwamie Lassiter is well known out west. Lassiter was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals for eight of his 10 years in the NFL. It's where he left his mark as a pro, and began raising a family that featured his son, Kwamie Lassiter II, who now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals. Lassiter […]
The name Kwamie Lassiter is well known out west. Lassiter was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals for eight of his 10 years in the NFL. It's where he left his mark as a pro, and began raising a family that featured his son, Kwamie Lassiter II, who now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lassiter II is in his second year on the Bengals' practice squad, and with Tee Higgins dealing with a rib injury, the former undrafted free agent not only got the call up to the active roster this weekend, he was named a team captain and went out for the coin toss.
The next time he saw the field, he caught his first regular season pass against the same team his late father played for.
Lassiter's first career catch went for just two yards in the final minute of a two-score game, but the moment was not lost on those who cared the most.
"It was special. I appreciate what Zac and the staff did," Lassiter said of play call and being named captain. "It was an RPO. If the ball was going to come to me, I was going to be ready for it."
While he plays for the opposite conference on the other side of the country, Lassiter's journey to the NFL more aptly matched his dad's footsteps. He went to his father's alma mater in Kansas and became a special teams staple. It's the main reason why the Bengals were interested in signing him after the 2022 NFL Draft, and his skillset was right up special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons' alley.
Simmons knew the older Lassiter well as they each played for Kansas in the early 1990s. It wasn't his call to get Lassiter's son in the game, but he absolutely supported it.
"Really classy move by Zac," Simmons said. "What a great guy his dad was. It was just awesome to see and for him to get his first NFL catch back here."
Lassiter I passed away at the age of 49 in 2019 of a heart attack while Lassiter II was still in college. Four years later, he would surely be very proud of where his son is now, and the leadership of the team he plays for.
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