Getty Wide receiver David Bell of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns have loaded up on wide receiver talent over the last two offseasons, which has rendered the margin for error razor thin across the bottom half of the position group.
David Bell could end up the first casualty of Cleveland’s heavy investment in pass-catchers after sustaining an injury to his quad during the team’s preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on August 10.
Bell’s problems begin with the fact that he will miss one or two crucial weeks due to the injury, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski.
“[He] took a good shot there,” Stefanski said during a press conference on Monday, August 12. “So, we’ll hold him out probably for a week or two.”
Bell’s temporary time off could lead to a permanent ticket out of Cleveland, as competitors for the final roster spots behind Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore get chances to improve and impress while Bell nurses his injured leg on the sideline.
David Bell Faces Steep Competition in Browns WR Room, Including Cedric Tillman
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
The Browns’ most recent unofficial preseason depth chart lists Bell as a second-string receiver alongside Cedric Tillman and Jaelon Darden.
Tillman is a 2023 third-round pick who got considerably more looks (44 targets) in his rookie campaign than Bell, a third-rounder in 2022, saw during his second professional season (23 targets). And while Bell scored 3 TDs last season compared to zero during his rookie year, his number of targets dropped by 12, his receptions dipped from 24 to 14 and his yardage total fell from 214 to 167 yards.
Cleveland is on a Bell curve of using the wideout less as it adds more talent and options at the position, which the organization did again this offseason by trading with the Denver Broncos for Jeudy.
Bell is also absent the advantage of competing for a starring role on special teams, while Darden currently holds the status of second-string punt returner behind third-string receiver James Proche II. Beyond that, Cleveland drafted former Louisville wideout Jamari Thrash in this year’s fifth round, which means he is a likely bet to remain on the roster.
David Bell Potentially Positioned as Last WR Out by Time Browns Training Camp Concludes
GettyWide receiver David Bell of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns will likely roster only six receivers, as they did to begin last season. Though, there will be room for perhaps a couple others on the practice squad.
Bell is already clearly behind four players in Cooper, Jeudy, Moore and Tillman, while two others in Proche and Darden will potentially have a special teams claim (one return man likely to put the other out of a job eventually). Then there is Thrash with whom to contend.
Any way one slices it, that makes six names likely ahead of Bell on the depth chart come the regular season.
Bell’s most likely path to remaining in Cleveland in 2024 is a player ahead of him suffering an injury of his own. Bell probably would not command much on the trade market, which renders him a reasonable candidate for release when the Browns begin narrowing the roster down.
The team doesn’t have to submit its unofficial 53-man roster until the end of August, which will theoretically provide Bell with an opportunity to save his job. However, the quad injury appears as though it will rob Bell of a significant amount of the short time he has in which to prove himself.
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