Bradley Keith Sowell (born June 6, 1989) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
/
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...
, he played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...
at the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...
. He signed with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
as
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who i ...
in 2012, and later spent time with the
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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
,
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...
,
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
and
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in nearby
Hernando, Mississippi
Hernando is a city in, and the county seat of, DeSoto County, which is on the northwestern border of Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,090 at the 2010 census, up from 6,812 in 2000. DeSoto County is the second-most-populous count ...
.
College career
Sowell played offensive tackle for the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...
from 2007–2011. During his tenure, he was teammates with
Bobby Massie
Bobby Bryndale Massie (born August 1, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Mississippi. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He ...
who he would continue to play with during stops in Chicago and Arizona.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On April 30, 2012, Sowell was signed as an undrafted rookie for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
. The Buccaneers signed him to a three-year, $1.45 million contract.
After originally making the 53-man roster, Sowell was waived on September 1, 2012, after the Bucs claimed three players off waivers. He was then signed to the team's
practice squad
In sports, 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. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
.
Indianapolis Colts
On September 11, 2012, he was signed off of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's practice squad to the
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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
active roster. He began the season as the backup left tackle to
Anthony Castonzo
Anthony Salvatore Castonzo (born August 9, 1988) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played his entire 10-year professional career with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). After a college career at Bosto ...
and made his professional debut on September 16, 2012, against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
. On August 31, 2013, he was waived by the Indianapolis Colts.
During his time with the Indianapolis Colts, he appeared in ten games for them.
Arizona Cardinals
![Bradley Sowell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Bradley_Sowell.JPG)
On September 1, 2013, the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...
claimed Sowell off of waivers reuniting him with his former interim head coach and offensive coordinator in Indianapolis,
Bruce Arians
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the h ...
.
Sowell began the season as the third right tackle on the depth chart. He then was named backup left tackle to
Levi Brown and replaced him when he was ineffective. He ultimately performed well enough to win the starting position and the Cardinals then traded Brown to the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. On October 5, 2013, Sowell made his first career start at left tackle in a 22–6 victory over the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
.
He appeared in all 16 of the regular season games on special teams and started the last 12 games of the regular season at left tackle. He struggled throughout his first season in Arizona and was rated 76th out of 76 tackles that qualified by
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
.
The following season, he lost his starting position to newly acquired free-agent
Jared Veldheer
Jared Veldheer (born June 14, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hillsdale.
Early life and college
Veldheer was ...
but was able to appear in all 16 regular season games.
On February 26, 2015, the Cardinals signed him to a one-year, $760,000 contract.
In his last season with the Cardinals, he again played in all 16 regular season contests. Sowell also served as the team's emergency
long snapper
In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempt ...
.
He finished his career in Arizona with a total of 48 games appearances and 12 starts.
Seattle Seahawks
On March 14, 2016, the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
signed Sowell to a one-year, $1.00 million free agent contract with a signing bonus of $200,000.
He won the Seahawks' starting left tackle position in training camp and started the season. On October 23, 2016, Sowell sprained his left knee during a 6–6 tie with his former team, the Arizona Cardinals. Undrafted rookie
George Fant
George Fant (born Georg Fredrik Mikael Fant; 11 July 1916 – 21 February 1998) was a Swedish actor, director and theater manager. He appeared in 50 films between 1936 and 1995.
Fant was the son of Captain Tore Fant and Stina Fant (née Gu ...
started in his place for four games and performed well enough to win the starting position once Sowell returned from injury.
On October 12, 2016, it was reported that offensive line coach
Tom Cable
Thomas Lee Cable Jr. (born November 26, 1964) is an American football coach who last was the offensive line coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the Seattle Seahawks assistant head ...
had announced that Sowell would compete with tackle
Garry Gilliam
Garry Montzell Gilliam Jr. (born November 26, 1990) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks after the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn Stat ...
for the starting right tackle position. Gilliam ultimately won the job, starting for the next game against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. On December 14, 2016, Sowell was benched in the fourth quarter of a 24–3 victory over the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
. He was a healthy scratch the last two weeks of the season and finished the season appearing in ten games with nine starts.
Chicago Bears
On May 2, 2017, the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
signed Sowell to a one-year, $775,000 contract. His arrival in Chicago reunited him with former
Ole Miss and
Cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
teammate
Bobby Massie
Bobby Bryndale Massie (born August 1, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Mississippi. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He ...
. He competed against
Tom Compton for a job as the backup offensive tackle, behind incumbent starters Massie and
Charles Leno Jr.
Charles Leno Jr. (born October 9, 1991) is an American football offensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seven ...
He was named the backup offensive tackle behind Leno to begin the regular season, and also worked as emergency long snapper while
Patrick Scales
Patrick Scales (born 24 March 1965) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany is a German electric bass guitar player and teacher.
Biography
Patrick Scales was born in a small town in the Bavarian Alps. As the town was a recreation area for the Ame ...
was treating an injury.
On March 12, 2018, Sowell signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears. On December 9 against the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
, Sowell caught a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell David Trubisky (born August 20, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was drafted second overall by the Chicago ...
on a trick play called "Santa's Sleigh". It was the lone touchdown as the Bears went on to win 15–6, marking the first instance in the
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
era in which an offensive lineman scored the only touchdown in a game. Sowell also saw time at fullback, playing eight snaps at the position in the regular season finale against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
.
Before the 2019 season, Sowell switched to tight end and changed his number from 79 to 85. He played in the first two games of the regular season.
During the year, he was released and re-signed multiple times to address other positional needs: after being waived on September 23 for defensive tackle
Abdullah Anderson
Abdullah Malik Anderson Jr. (born January 24, 1996) is an American football nose tackle for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bucknell. Anderson signed with the Chicago Bears as an undraf ...
, he returned three days later; another release took place on September 28 for defensive end
Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris (born Jonathan Daniel Charasuchin, November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002) was an American character actor whose career included more than 500 television and film appearances, as well as voiceovers. Two of his best-known roles we ...
before coming back on October 1; an injury to quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell David Trubisky (born August 20, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was drafted second overall by the Chicago ...
led to
Tyler Bray
Tyler Ian Bray (born December 27, 1991) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. After playing his college football at the University of Tennessee, he declared himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft, in which he went undrafted. ...
's promotion and Sowell's release on October 5, with the two returning to their respective posts four days later;
he was released again on November 2 to promote
James Vaughters
James Alan Vaughters (born June 27, 1993) is an American football linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Stanford. Vaughters was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undraft ...
while linebacker
Isaiah Irving was out, and returned two days later.
Personal life
On December 3, 2011, Sowell married his wife Jessica. They have two daughters and two sons.
References
External links
Arizona Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sowell, Bradley
1989 births
Living people
Players of American football from Mississippi
People from Hernando, Mississippi
American football offensive tackles
American football tight ends
Ole Miss Rebels football players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Indianapolis Colts players
Arizona Cardinals players
Seattle Seahawks players
Chicago Bears players