Leading up to the deadline to trim rosters to 53 players, there was speculation regarding David Bell's place on the Cleveland Browns roster. Once the initial roster was set, however, Bell made the cut as one of the six wide receivers.
A third-round pick in 2022 out of Purdue, Bell had a slow start to his career but still made progress in year two. While his reception total and yardage dipped, he increased his yards per reception from 8.9 to 11.9 and hauled in three touchdowns. One of those was a key fourth-down conversion and the other two were in the Week 18 finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.
WOW. Flacco to Bell for a 41-yard TD on 4th down
— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023
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He was then targeted eight times in the playoffs and caught each of those for 54 yards. Despite his improvement, he was seen as a bubble player following the addition of Jerry Jeudy and the performance of rookie Jamari Thrash. There were even calls for Mike Woods II to make it over Bell.
In the end, the coaching staff showed faith in No .18, but not for long. On Thursday, Cleveland announced Bell would be waived just a few days before the season opener.
Browns should have a corresponding move upcoming
Cleveland's decision to move on from Bell, especially at this point, is a bit surprising. He wasn't utilized much in the preseason and with the coaching staff expressing their faith in him, that made it seem as though he wasn't in danger. He was never a burner but he had sure hands and delivered whenever called upon.
Perhaps there's a corresponding move coming that will help clear this up. It's also fair to assume the front office believes Bell will make it through waivers and be eligible to sign to the practice squad.
