Bengals player's new jersey number all but confirms one of his former teammates will not return to Cincinnati
It wasn't just the new members of the Cincinnati Bengals to get new jersey numbers this month. A couple of returning players will also sport new numbers for the 2025 season.
Matt Lee is taking Alex Cappa's old No. 65 jersey after Cappa was released by the club and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Marco Wilson, whom Cincinnati re-signed during the beginning of free agency, is also taking a new jersey that used to belong to another 2024 Bengal. And if it wasn't already clear before, it's crystal clear now that he isn't returning this year.
Marco Wilson snags Vonn Bell's No. 24 jersey
Wilson is the new No. 24 for the Bengals after signing a fresh one-year deal with the team back in March. He's never worn the number before. He was No. 20 for the Arizona Cardinals, the team he was drafted by, and he wore No. 19 and No. 22 for the New England Patriots before arriving in Cincinnati during the 2024 season. He had to settle for the No. 42 jersey after joining the Bengals.
Switch those numbers around and you get No. 24, which was Bell's number from 2020-22 and this past season when he re-joined the team.
Bell was only under contract for one year and that contract expired when the new league year began. He has yet to sign with a new team.
Wilson getting the green light to take the jersey Bell's worn for four of the last five years is as good as any confirmation that the Bengals have no intention on bringing him back a second time.
Such a reunion was already unlikely when Cincinnati fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to begin the offseason. Anarumo was the main catalyst toward bringing Bell back last offseason, a decision that backfired once it became clear Bell wasn't the same player he was during his initial stint with the Bengals.
Cincinnati and its new DC Al Golden will be looking to add a new safety in the 2025 NFL Draft. The new guy just won't be able to wear Bell's old number. That will belong to Wilson.
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