Vonn Bell‘s time with the Panthers has proven to be short-lived. The veteran safety will be traded or released, ESPN’s David Newton notes.
Bell inked a three-year, $22.5MM deal with the Panthers just last offseason. He was due a $3MM roster bonus later this week, and the Panthers decided to ultimately cost their losses and move on.
Bell’s lone season with the Panthers wasn’t a disaster by any means. He started each of his 13 appearances, finishing with 69 tackles and one interception. Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran only 61st among 95 qualifying safeties, although that ranking was partly dragged down by his poor run defense score.
Pro Football Focus previously gave Bell much higher scores, ranking him as an above-average safety in four of his five seasons between 2018 and 2022. Bell spent three of those five campaigns in Cincinnati, starting all 48 of his appearances while compiling five interceptions. He also started all seven of his playoff appearances for the Bengals, including the 2021 AFC Championship Game where he had a key overtime interception on Patrick Mahomes. The defensive back began his career with the Saints, with the former second-round pick starting 45 of his 61 appearances.
With a new general manager in Dan Morgan and new head coach in Dave Canales, the Panthers have been focused on shaving some of the fat off their roster. The organization is also set to move on from the likes of tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman, and cornerback Donte Jackson.
Go get him back Bengals!