Bell caught 14 of 23 targets for 167 yards and three touchdowns over 15 regular-season games in 2023.
Bell was largely a non-factor during the regular season with the majority of his output coming in the final game when the Browns rested starters for the postseason. He followed that with eight catches in the playoff loss to Houston. The Browns clearly need help at wide receiver behind Amari Cooper in 2024. Elijah Moore, who was expected to provide big-play potential, never emerged as a threat and enters the final year of his rookie contract. That suggests Bell or second-year wideout Cedric Tillman could move up the depth chart and hold bigger roles.
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Browns' David Bell: Two TDs in Week 18 loss
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Bell caught all four of his targets for 68 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 31-14 loss to the Bengals.
Bell stepped up with the Browns resting numerous regulars, catching touchdowns of 31 and 24 yards from Jeff Driskel in the fourth quarter. The 2022 third-round draft pick came into the game with only one touchdown in his NFL career. With Amari Cooper (heel) and Elijah Moore likely to return to being Cleveland's top wideout options for the postseason, Bell is unlikely to see many targets from starting quarterback Joe Flacco in the wild-card round against the Texans, though fellow depth wideout Cedric Tillman (head) exited in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss.
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Browns' David Bell: Scores first TD
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Bell caught one of three targets for 41 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-27 win over Jacksonville in Week 14.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski gambled on a 4th-and-3 at the Jaguars' 41-yard line early in the fourth quarter, and it paid dividends. Bell was left alone with an open field in front of him on a catch-and-run that gave Cleveland a 28-14 lead. On the play, two Jacksonville defenders followed Elijah Moore's crossing route, leaving Bell unencumbered to score the first touchdown of his NFL career. The second-year wideout has played just 12.8 percent of the offensive snaps this season.
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Browns' David Bell: Season-high snap count
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Bell secured both of his targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 36-19 loss to the Rams in Week 13.
Bell played a season-high 28 snaps on offense, as the Browns lost Amari Cooper to a concussion during the second quarter. Bell's playing time and usage is dependent on Cooper's health heading into Week 14 at home against Jacksonville. Bell, a second-year wideout, has just six catches (11 targets) for 45 yards over 10 games.
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Browns' David Bell: Gets back on field
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Bell (knee) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Bell hasn't practiced since initially suffering the injury and has missed each of the Browns' last two games. His return to the field is a step in the right direction as he works to get back in action Sunday against the Steelers. However, he is currently considered questionable for the contest.
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Browns' David Bell: Won't play at Baltimore
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Bell (knee) is out for Sunday's game at the Ravens, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Bell will miss his second straight game in Week 10 as he works through a knee injury. Rookie third-rounder Cedric Tillman should continue to see a heavy workload in Bell's absence.
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Browns' David Bell: Misses another practice
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Bell (knee) did not participate in Thursday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The second-year wideout recorded back-to-back DNPs during Wednesday's and Thursday's practices, and it seems increasingly likely that he'll miss his second consecutive game this Sunday. Bell has made seven appearances for the Browns this season, logging 33 yards on four receptions.
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Browns' David Bell: Not practicing Wednesday
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Bell (knee) will not participate at practice Wednesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Bell sustained a knee injury Sunday versus Arizona, and he's now sidelined to start Cleveland's new week of practice. He'll likely have to practice in some capacity Thursday or Friday to have a chance to suit up in Week 10.
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Browns' David Bell: Won't play Sunday
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Bell (knee) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.
The second-year receiver out of Purdue recorded consecutive DNPs during practice Wednesday and Thursday, so it's not a surprise that he's been ruled out ahead of Sunday's contest. With Bell missing time, rookie wideout Cedric Tillman could see an uptick in work in Cleveland's offense.
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Browns' David Bell: Misses practice Wednesday
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Bell (knee) did not participate in Wednesday's practice session, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Bell has played 19 snaps -- six on offense and 13 on special teams -- over the past two games after getting extended action in Week 6 against the 49ers. If he's unable to improve over the course of the week, Cedric Tillman could be in line for more opportunities at wide receiver behind Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin.
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Browns' David Bell: Three targets in win
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Bell caught one of three targets for six yards in Sunday's 19-17 win over San Francisco.
There was less competition for snaps at wideout as Cedric Tillman (hip) was unavailable, but it didn't result in increased usage for Bell. He played 10 snaps, which is exactly his average through five games. If there's a positive take-away it's that Bell was targeted for the first time since Week 2, and his lone catch converted a fourth-and-4 during a fourth-quarter drive that led to one of four Dustin Hopkins field goals.
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Browns' David Bell: Targeted once in opener
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Bell did not catch his lone target in Sunday's 24-3 win over Cincinnati in Week 1.
Bell was on the field for 10 plays, the same number as rookie Cedric Tillman and veteran Marquise Goodwin. The trio will make up the second tier behind Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Cleveland leaned on its ground game during a rainy afternoon in Ohio, so there were limited targets for depth receivers.
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Browns' David Bell: Hauls in TD against Commanders
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Bell caught three of four targets for 33 yards and a touchdown in Friday's preseason loss to the Commanders.
After a disappointing rookie season, Bell saw the Browns add Elijah Moore via trade in the offseason before the team selected Cedric Tillman in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, so the pressure is on the Purdue product to step up. Bell did just that Friday, hauling in a seven-yard TD strike from Dorian Thompson-Robinson near the end of the third quarter. While a camp battle with Tillman for the No. 4 spot on the depth chart isn't what Bell envisioned when he was taken in the third round in 2022, Moore did leave Friday's contest early with a rib injury. If the issue lingers into the regular season, both depth wideouts could take on bigger roles in Week 1.
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Browns' David Bell: Two grabs in Thursday's win
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Bell brought in both targets for six yards during the Browns' 21-16 preseason win over the Jets in Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game.
The 2022 third-round pick tied with several teammates for third in receptions on the night, but all of Bell's yardage actually came on one catch. The 24-year-old logged a team-high 236 snaps out of the slot last season and was in on 493 plays from scrimmage overall across 16 games, but he had a modest 24-214 line to show for it. The Purdue product is fighting to carve out a spot on the latter portion of the Browns' receiver depth chart, and he was notably outperformed by rookie third-round selection Cedric Tillman, one of his primary competitors, on Thursday. Bell will aim to make up ground during Cleveland's second preseason tilt, a home clash against the Commanders a week from Friday.
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Browns' David Bell: Shut out Week 18
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Bell did not catch either of his two targets in a 28-14 loss to Pittsburgh in Week 18.
Bell finished the season with just one catch on four targets over the final three weeks. He had thumb and toe injuries down the stretch, missing nearly two full games, which impacted him over the final five games. The rookie slot receiver finished the year with 24 catches, 35 targets and 214 yards. Bell had steady, if minor, production prior to the injury and, like every pass catcher on the team, will wait for Deshaun Watson to return to form the quarterback had prior to a long layoff. If the old Watson is back in 2023, the Browns will likely throw more, and Bell could build off the modest output of his rookie season.
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Browns' David Bell: Returns to action
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Bell caught one of two targets for 18 yards in Saturday's 17-10 loss to the Saints.
Bell rejoined the active roster after missing one week due to a toe injury. He had 51 snaps and a 73-percent share, season highs for the rookie wideout. Cleveland's passing attack has taken a step back since Deshaun Watson returned from his suspension, so expected output for Bell and others should be seen through that filter. The Browns had fewer than 200 passing yards for the third time in four starts, with the offense averaging 170 passing yards when Watson starts.
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Browns' David Bell: Expected back Saturday
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Bell (toe) is on track to play Saturday against the Saints, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Bell, who missed the Browns' Week 15 win over the Ravens, was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report. The Browns are apparently optimistic that Bell will increase his practice activity as the week rolls along, with Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal relaying that head coach Kevin Stefanski "sounded confident" about the receiver's availability for Saturday. Bell has been a steady, if unspectacular, contributor over his first 13 NFL games, catching 23 of 31 targets for 196 yards and zero touchdowns.
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Browns' David Bell: Inactive Saturday
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Bell (thumb/toe) is inactive for Saturday's game against the Ravens.
Bell was listed as a non-participant in practice Tuesday through Thursday before being the lone Cleveland player assigned a Week 15 injury designation (questionable). He'll sit this one out, with 2022 sixth-rounder Michael Woods and hybrid running back/receiver Demetric Felton likely next up for added snaps Saturday alongside starting WRs Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
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Browns' David Bell: Records three receptions
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Bell caught three of three targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 23-10 loss to the Bengals.
Bell fought through injuries during the practice week after injuring his thumb and toe and being limited to three plays in Week 13. There was speculation that he could play a larger role with Amari Cooper dealing with a hip injury, which he aggravated on the opening drive per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but it wound up being a normal week of production for Bell. He's averaged four targets, three catches and 25 yards over his last five healthy games.
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Browns' David Bell: Available, despite lack of practice
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Bell (thumb/toe) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Scott Ptrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Bell's lack of injury designation is surprising considering the rookie wide receiver was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday before failing to participate in Friday's practice. Assuming Bell is indeed able to play without restrictions, he could be thrust into a larger role given the uncertainty over top wideout Amari Cooper's (hip) availability.
