Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr. walks off the field after a victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 28, 2024, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Two defensive tackles from Alabama returned to NFL rosters as practice-squad members on Thursday as the Miami Dolphins signed Neil Farrell Jr. of Murphy High School in Mobile and the Chicago Bears signed Travis Bell from Jeff Davis (now J.A.G.) High School in Montgomery.
A fourth-round draft pick from LSU by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, Farrell had been a free agent since Sept. 2, when the Kansas City Chiefs released him from their practice squad three days before their opening game.
A seventh-round draft pick from Kennesaw State by the Bears in 2023, Bell had been a free agent since Aug. 27, when the Cincinnati Bengals waived him when they reduced their preseason roster to the regular-season limit.
Farrell played in nine games as a rookie, then was traded by the Raiders to the Chiefs on Aug. 29, 2023. Farrell played in three regular-season games and two playoff games last season, including Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Farrell played 16 snaps, recorded a tackle and broke up a pass in last season’s NFL championship game.
This year, the Chiefs waived Farrell during the reduction for the regular season. Kansas City re-signed him for the practice squad only to release Farrell five days later.
Chicago waived Bell at the end of the preseason in 2023, then re-signed him for its practice squad. The Atlanta Falcons signed Bell from the Bears’ practice squad on Nov. 1, and he played 30 snaps in two games before the Falcons waived him on Dec. 19.
The Bengals claimed Bell off waivers, but he did not play in any of Cincinnati’s remaining games in 2023.
The Bears added Bell with three Chicago defensive linemen unable to practice on Thursday.