David Bell will have to work hard for his targets but the Cleveland Browns second-year wide receiver is not at risk of being cut, per a noted team insider.
Bell had a modest rookie year. He collected 24 catches for 214 yards in his debut season and there has been some scuttlebutt about his future with the additions to the Browns receiver corps.
However, Bell is someone the Browns want to keep around and rightly so. He was a third-round pick a year ago and the team believes he still has some significant upside.
“Bell is still in great standing with the club and will make the 53-man roster,” Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reported. “Kevin Stefanski loved him coming out of Purdue last season, and still sees the same tremendous potential in him as a slot receiver in the mold of Jarvis Landry.”
Landry was a quick and skillful route runner with the Browns, stacking up large catch totals during his career. The Browns now have Elijah Moore to eat up some snaps in the slot, but they also plan to move him around, which can open the door for opportunities for Bell.
“The Browns love that Bell is reliable, coachable and works as hard as anyone. He’s got excellent hands and is always where he’s supposed to be,” Cabot said. “He’s the Peoples-Jones version of an accountable receiver, but in the slot. It won’t be easy to get targets this season with so many options, but Bell had an excellent offseason and worked hard to elevate his game.”
David Bell Has High Hopes for Second Season
Bell didn’t explode his rookie year but the former Purdue standout but he still has faith that brighter days are on the near horizon.
“I’ll tweak a few things based on what I need as far as to be the best player on the field, but I think I’m not gonna have everything figured out,” Bell told cleveland.com in March. “It’s still a learning process. It’s only going to be year two, but for the most part, I think I’m headed in the right direction.
“We’ve just got to sit down and watch the film and really dive into it to see the things that I have to work on to be a better receiver that can separate me from the rest — as far as in the league and also on my team — so I can get more opportunities to get more catches and to display my abilities.”
When he came out in the draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein prasied Bell for his unpredictable releases into his routes, maximizing his yards after the catch and
detailed footwork.
Future Not so Bright for Anthony Schwartz
Bell is projected to stick around but it might take a small miracle for Anthony Schwartz — another former third-round pick — to make the roster. Schwartz’s separating factor is his world-class speed, which Cabot believes could earn him a roster spot if he becomes a bit more well-rounded.
“It’s something that can’t be coached, and if Schwartz can add in the other parts of his game — the route-running, hands and toughness — he can make a case for himself,” Cabot said.
Schwartz has been unable to get on the field with the Browns and now finds himself buried on the depth chart behind the likes of newcomers Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin, as well as young guns like Bell and rookie Cedric Tillman.
Schwartz has just 14 catches for 186 yards since arriving in 2021.
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Browns Receiver Not at Risk of Being Cut, Says Insider