The Cleveland Browns have added some significant depth to their wide receiver room, which has put recent third-round pick David Bell on the roster bubble.
Bell was selected in the third round of the 2022 draft after a strong college career at Purdue, where he was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. But he turned in a fairly disappointing rookie season with the Browns, catching 24 passes for 214 yards.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry has given his draft picks a lot of rope in Cleveland, but Bell may end up on the outside looking in as the team shapes it’s 53-man roster. Cleveland.com’s Dan Labbe has Bell missing the cut in his most recent 53-man roster projection, which has the Browns keeping Amari Cooper, Marquise Goodwin, Jakeem Grant Sr., Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones and rookie Cedric Tillman.
“It’s hard to imagine Andrew Berry would cut such a recent draft pick. Taking away from another position would create space for Bell, but this is more a reminder of how tight this room will be,” Labbe wrote. “Between Bell and Grant — if Grant is close to 100 percent by the end of August after rupturing his Achilles last year — Grant simply does more. It’s likely Bell could make it through waivers, too, considering his quiet rookie season. The point here isn’t to say Bell’s out — it’s June — it’s to reinforce that everyone has to battle this camp, especially at crowded positions.”
Jakeem Grant Has Pro Bowl Resume as Return Man
The Browns have a new special teams coordinator in Bubba Ventrone and he’ll make the call on Grant as the primary return man. It seems the logical choice and a reliable return game was something the Browns were lacking last season.
Prior to his injury, Grant made a pair of Pro Bowls as a specialist, which could put him over the top when the team is making its final decision on who to keep around, Labbe noted. And from the sounds of it, Grant and Ventrone already have built a solid relationship.
“He’s a guru in the special teams and we instantly clicked,” Grant told Noah Weiskope of Browns Digest in March. “The way his energy was whenever he was on the phone was amazing. Me and him sat down and talked for a good 30 minutes about schemes. We left that alone and then talked about who he is as a person and who I am as a person. When you develop that type of bond with a coach, you’ll run through a brick wall for him.”
Grant has made a name for himself as a return man but has also been clear about wanting to do more as a receiver.
“I always preach that I’m a receiver first before a returner, and I’m going to continue to preach that message,” Grant said prior to lat season. “And I’m going to continue to work on that until I get that opportunity to have that breakout season.”
Browns WR Anthony Schwartz Also on Chopping Block
Bell is not the only notable Browns receiver who has to worry about his roster spot in Cleveland. Embattled speedster Anthony Schwartz is also running time to prove he belongs on the Browns’ roster.
“I would be stunned if both Bell and Schwartz made the team,” Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram said on Monday during an apperance on “Baskin & Phelps” on 92.3 The Fan. “I could see a scenario where neither makes the team. I’d give Bell the advantage. He was a third-round pick a year ago and Schwartz has had so many issues. You know Bell can catch the ball, but does he run fast enough and can he create separation? I don’t think either of those guys — Schwartz or Bell — are guaranteed a roster spot.”
Schwartz has just 14 catches for 186 yards since arriving in 2021 and his miscues have become more of the storyline. He was given some opportunity in the preseason but struggled with drops and overall consistency. During a preseason contest last season, he was booed by the home crowd. The Browns have been able to add some more reliable speed with the likes of Goodwin, Moore, and even Grant. So keeping Schwartz around isn’t as much of a priority for the Browns.
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Browns Predicted to Part Ways With Recently Drafted WR