Tarell Basham rejoices homecoming in signing with Bengals
The first six years of Tarell Basham's NFL career involved playing for four different teams. Injuries caused his first two years to go off course, and his longest stint with the New York Jets lasted two-and-a-half seasons. A third-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft, Basham is still going on strong seven years into his […]
The first six years of Tarell Basham's NFL career involved playing for four different teams. Injuries caused his first two years to go off course, and his longest stint with the New York Jets lasted two-and-a-half seasons.
A third-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft, Basham is still going on strong seven years into his career. And now he's just three hours away from where it all started.
The Cincinnati Bengals signed Basham to a one-year deal in hopes he can rejuvenate his career as a critical rotational piece to their pass rush. The former Ohio Bobcat jumped at the opportunity to return to the state where he played college ball.
"It was a chance for me to get back to Ohio," Basham said to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "I feel like it's my roots playing football at Ohio University. It's where I came alive. It's where I showcased my talents, which is how I got in the league in the first place. I was playing good old-fashioned Ohio football. It's a state known for that."
Basham's football career took off at Ohio University, where he became the program's all-time sack leader while playing under former OU defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow, whose son happens to play quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Joe Burrow and Basham have already ran into each other since the signing became official this week. Cincinnati's franchise quarterback was in the building trainer while Basham put pen to paper.
Along with the Burrow family, there's plenty of Athens natives and friends of Basham's from around the area who helped make his decision to sign easy.
"I have so many friends that work out here in the community," Basham continued. "I talked to more of them than the people involved with the team. I feel like when it comes to NFL football, I know what to expect. They expect you to come in and be a pro. I can do all of those things. But I have true fans from way back when I first started playing collegiate football that are still out there and wanted to be able to come to my games. I felt like it was a great move."
Basham will come in this offseason and compete for playing time behind starters Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard at both defensive end spots. The Bengals will also look for additional defensive line help in the upcoming NFL Draft.
