Matt Wilson
The Cleveland Browns’ 2022 NFL draft class is filled with players that should provide great depth moving forward, but there’s one player who should stand out immediately on the offensive side of the ball. That player is David Bell.
The Browns desperately needed to find another offensive playmaker at wide receiver, and they found one in Bell. If Jarvis Landry doesn’t re-sign with Cleveland, then Bell should play in the slot almost 100% of the time that he’s on the field. He is very similar to Landry in the sense that he’s not flashy or speedy, but he’s able to create separation with technically sound route running and football IQ. The way Bell maintains elite balance and body control throughout his entire route progression allows him to naturally glide in and out of cuts. He’s extremely fun to watch on film.
It’s no secret that a legitimate slot receiver has been a missing piece of Kevin Stefanski’s offense as of late. Due to the lack of receiver options that the Browns have had over the past two seasons, Jarvis Landry has been forced to play primarily on the outside. This greatly limited his ability and production as a wide receiver. He has made his mark in the NFL as a slot-specific player. Now that Landry is, unfortunately, most likely gone for good, David Bell has the immediate opportunity to make a name for himself as the team’s top slot receiver.
Cleveland deployed more “12” and “13” personnel packages in 2021 because of the lack of productivity in the wide receiver room. They had to try and use the tight end position in some unconventional ways to try and mask or offset this deficiency. If you pay attention to some of the moves that Andrew Berry has been making this offseason, I think that you can develop a decent educated guess as to what the offense might look like in 2022 and beyond. The Browns chose not to select a tight end in the draft. This to me would suggest that they feel comfortable with three players at the position instead of four, which is usually the “norm” for a Kevin Stefanski offense. I think that the Browns will deploy more three-wide receiver sets now that they have stability in the receiver department, especially with the type of talent that they have at quarterback now with Deshaun Watson.
I believe that Amari Cooper is going to move around the formation quite a bit but will primarily play outside at the “X” spot. Donovan Peoples-Jones has shown the potential and big-play ability to play “Z” full time, and David Bell should lock down the slot receiver position in camp. Coach Stefanski’s play-action passing plays and schemes will remain in the playbook, and they become even more dangerous with Watson at the helm. A lot of these plays incorporate “Levels” concepts in the passing game, and a lot of those short to intermediate routes in the middle of the field will be performed by David Bell.
As long as Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Anthony Schwartz provide consistent play on the outside going forward, I believe that Bell could soak up 70+ targets in 2022.
2022 David Bell Statistical Projection: 55 catches, 700 yards, 5 Touchdowns.
