The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed fourth-year TE Blake Bell to the 53-man active roster, the club announced today. To make room on the roster, the Jaguars placed TE Niles Paul(knee) on the team’s reserve/injured list.
Bell, 6-6, 252, has played in 40 career games and caught 22 passes for 290 yards (13.2 rec. avg.). Originally selected by San Francisco in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, Bell spent two seasons (2015-16) with the 49ers, appearing in 27 games. He was waived by San Francisco during final roster reductions on Sept. 2, 2017, and was claimed by Minnesota, where he played 13 games last season before being placed on reserve/injured on Dec. 15, 2017. Bell was waived during final roster reductions on Sept. 2, 2018.
Bell, who became known as “Belldozer,” played collegiately at Oklahoma and began his career as a QB, backing up Landry Jones in 2011, and rushing 44 times for 171 yards and 13 TDs out of the jumbo package during his first college season. In 2012, as the backup to Jones for second straight season, Bell rushed for 201 yards on 60 carries for 11 TDs. In the spring of 2014, Bell switched to TE.
A native of Wichita, Kan., Bell attended Bishop Carroll Catholic High School and played football and baseball. He was drafted in the 43rd round by the Detroit Tigers in the 2010 MLB Draft, but did not sign. His father, Mark, and his uncle, Mike, both played in the NFL.