The seventh-round draft pick has become a regular on New England’s game day roster.
Jaheim Bell had to hear 230 other names called picks before finally hearing his own toward the tail-end of this year’s NFL Draft. But even after getting picked up by the New England Patriots, his future in the NFL was far from set in stone.
As a seventh-round selection, the Florida State product had to earn his way into the practice rotation and ultimately onto the field on game day. Halfway through his rookie campaign, he has managed to do just that: Bell has become a regular on New England’s game day roster through the month of October.
The 23-year-old growing into his own has not gone unnoticed, and resulted in some praise from veteran Hunter Henry.
“He’s doing a great job. He’s come along, doing a lot of good things on special teams. I think that’s where he really started to show up in a lot of ways,” the captain said about his young teammate.
Over the first nine weeks of the season, Bell has seen action in seven games. He played on offensive snap and 11 more on special teams between Weeks 1 and 3, and later was made a healthy scratch for back-to-back contests. Since Week 6, however, he has carved out a niche both on offense and in the kicking game.
In the last four games, Bell played 18 offensive snaps as a versatile third tight end option. Aligning both inline, split out wide and in the backfield, he started showcasing the skillset that made him an enticing late-round prospect in the draft. He even managed to catch his first career pass on Sunday against Tennessee, taking an RPO screen for 1 yard.
On special teams, meanwhile, Bell is now a member of the kickoff and punt return squad as well as the kickoff coverage team. He has played 55 total snaps in the game’s third phase.
For Henry, the foundation for his increased role was built behind the scenes.
“He’s been great in the room. He’s learning a ton, asking great questions,” he said. “We just love having him in the room. He’s a tremendous talent that I feel like we need to get going in some capacity. He’s starting to show up on the field — show up in good ways: be consistent. That’s all you can ask for from him right now. He just continues to get better.”