Tarell Basham (born March 18, 1994) is an

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 with ...

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 2013 to 2016. He was drafted by 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 ...

in the third round of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

Early years

Basham attended Franklin County High School in

Rocky Mount, Virginia Rocky Mount is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The town is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, and had a population of 4,903 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the Roanoke Region of ...

, where he had 82 tackles and 16 sacks in his career. Following high school, Basham attended military school for a year, before committing to Ohio University.

College career

Following high school, Basham spent one year at

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...

Chatham, Virginia Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Pittsylvania County. Chatham's population was 1,269 at the 2010 census. It is included in the ...

, a military post-graduate school, before enrolling in Ohio University, where he played for the

Ohio Bobcats football The Ohio Bobcats football team is a major intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team represents the university as the senior member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), playing at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdi ...

team from 2013 to 2016. As a senior, he was awarded the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

Defensive Player of the Year and recorded a school record 11.5 sacks. During his career, Basham made 152 tackles and a school record 29.5 sacks.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Basham was drafted by the

in the third round (80th overall) of the

. On October 4, 2018, Basham was waived by the Colts.

New York Jets

On October 5, 2018, Basham was claimed off waivers by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. In week 16 of the 2019 season against 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 ...

, Basham recorded an interception off a pass thrown by

Devlin Hodges Devlin Patrick "Duck" Hodges (born April 12, 1996) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Samford, after playing at Mortimer Jordan High School. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free ...

during the 16–10 win. This was Basham's first career interception in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys

On March 22, 2021, Basham signed a two-year contract with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. Basham was placed on injured reserve on September 17, 2022. He was activated on November 9. The Cowboys waived him on November 29.

Tennessee Titans

On December 5, 2022, Basham signed with the

Personal life

Basham is the cousin of

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

defensive end Carlos Basham Jr. He has three siblings; Thaddeus Basham, Kamiyah Ford and Tajia Dawson.

References

External links

Ohio Bobcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basham, Tarell 1994 births Living people People from Rocky Mount, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia African-American players of American football American football linebackers American football defensive ends Ohio Bobcats football players Indianapolis Colts players New York Jets players Dallas Cowboys players Hargrave Military Academy alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople Tennessee Titans players