Ronnie Bell had an impressive college career for the Michigan Wolverines, but his NFL journey has already become quite wandering.
That includes in the last couple weeks, when the New Orleans Saints cut him after the preseason, and he has now joined a new team.
The NFL’s official transactions report on Friday shared that Bell has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. He will be joining their practice squad.
Bell, 26, did spend the 2025 season in part with the Saints, and he got into two regular season games. With New Orleans, he caught a pair of passes for 23 yards, and that included a touchdown.
His prior two seasons were played with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2023, he had six catches for 68 yards and three TDs while appearing in all 17 games. He got into nine games with the 49ers in 2024 and had two catches for 22 yards.
Bell was originally a seventh-round pick by the 49ers in the 2023 NFL Draft, taken at No. 253 overall.
Now, he’s trying to keep his NFL career alive by heading to Vegas.
Why Ronnie Bell Didn’t Fit Saints
The obvious first question is why Bell didn’t make sense on the Saints roster, and so it’s worth examining the rest of the depth chart.
There are currently just four WRs on the active roster for New Orleans. Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele were the obvious veterans to keep, and Bryce Lance and Barion Brown were both drafted this year, so they made the team.
The Saints also have first-round pick Jordyn Tyson, although he’s on injured reserve at the moment.
New Orleans’ depth shows itself in a major way on the Saints practice squad, where they currently have four receivers — just none of whom are Bell.
The biggest name there is Cedric Tillman, who they signed after the Browns let him go. They’ve also got former Bucs receiver Trey Palmer. That duo is joined on the practice squad by Jalen Moren-Cropper and Kevin Austin Jr.
Bell could’ve fit with that group, but clearly the Saints don’t need more than four wideouts on their practice squad.
Can Ronnie Bell Make Raiders?
Bell will open the season on the Vegas practice squad, and it’s a bit crowded at receiver with the Raiders — although there’s not as much top-end talent as in New Orleans.
Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor are their top-two pass catchers. Currently on their active roster they’ve also got Jack Bech, Malik Benson and Dareke Young.
Bell becomes the third wideout on their practice squad, joining Deven Thompkins and Cody White. They’ve also got Dont’e Thornton Jr., Justin Shorter, Corey Rucker and Chase Roberts on IR.
If there was a wide receiver room with an opportunity in it, it was more likely to be the Raiders than the Saints, so this could work out for Bell if he can make a good first impression in Las Vegas.
Saints WR Signs With Raiders After Cut