Why Signing Vonn Bell Could Be Biggest Free Agent Signing for Bengals

CINCINNATI – The sun is shining on the Cincinnati Bengals secondary this morning with the team agreeing to reunite with safety Vonn Bell, Pro Football Network can confirm.

Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo famously said at the 2023 NFL Combine that it would “be a dark day” if the team lost both safeties, Jessie Bates III and Bell, in free agency, which is what ended up happening.

The dark day continued for 17 weeks as the defense never overcame the production, experience, and communication that Bates and Bell brought to the position, with numerous people throughout the organization specifically lamenting the loss of Bell as the explosive plays mounted and playoff chances dwindled.

Bengals Bring Vonn Bell Back To Fix Secondary

The Bengals were never in play to retain Bates, but they tried to re-sign Bell until the Carolina Panthers drove a stake through those negotiations. They successfully lured him away by offering a three-year, $22.5 million contract that included $13 million in guarantees.

Just 12 months later, the Panthers cut Bell, and Cincinnati was eager to swoop in and bring him back on a one-year, league-minimum contract, per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. This season, Bell will also receive the final $6 million of the $13 million Carolina guaranteed.

The Bengals announced his return with a single emoji.

🔔

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 14, 2024

Bell, who won’t turn 30 until December, is the second safety to join Cincinnati in free agency. The Bengals signed former Baltimore Ravens safety Geno Stone on Monday.

They will be the presumed starters with the team’s top rookie in 2023, third-round pick Jordan Battle, backing them up and working in the three-safety sets Anarumo likes to employ.

The Bell signing also signals a position change for 2022 first-round pick Dax Hill, whose mistakes as a first-year starter never seemed to work themselves out — even into December and January.

Cincinnati is expected to move Hill to cornerback, where he can rely on his great speed and cover skills while playing more freely.

Anarumo made it clear at the Combine that he wasn’t interested in utilizing Hill in a hybrid role.

“He’s gotta be good at one thing, and that’s what we’re working on now, is being good at one thing,” Anarumo said.

The first sign of Bell’s return came Wednesday afternoon when the Bengals announced they were cutting safety Nick Scott, whom they signed in free agency after the departures of Bell and Bates.

Cutting Scott only saved $2.3 million, and while he struggled at safety, eventually replaced by Battle as the starter in November, Scott was a solid special-teams player, and his release left Cincinnati extremely thin at the safety position.

It’s unlikely they would have cut Scott had they not had a plan to land another safety in free agency, and Bell was the obvious choice on so many levels.

He was at the heart of the team’s resurgence, with numerous people pointing to his fumble-causing hit against (then) Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in a Monday Night Football game in late December 2020 as the turning point for the franchise.

Cincinnati will never forget this iconic play from Vonn Bell pic.twitter.com/lakORteQKg

— Bengals Ben 🐅 (@bengalsben513) March 13, 2023

Bell’s interception of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in overtime of the 2021 AFC Championship Game led to the game-winning field goal that sent the Bengals to the Super Bowl. He had a career-high four interceptions in 2022 before leaving for Carolina.

KEEP READING: Bengals March 14 News Roundup

And as big as his impact on the field has been, his value in the locker room is even greater.

This could be the most impactful free agent signing of the offseason for the Bengals.

Grade: A+

Every move. Every team. Don’t miss a thing with PFN’s NFL Free Agency Tracker.