BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns made a relatively surprising roster move on Thursday, waiving wide receiver David Bell from the roster.
Bell, a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, played in 31 games for the Browns in the past two seasons. Bell's role was not a prominent one, starting in just six of those games. Over the past two seasons, Bell had 38 receptions for 381 yards and three touchdowns.
The 23-year-old receiver was an Andrew Berry draft pick, and there was a lot of hope surrounding his development. However, the Browns have added a number of players to the roster since drafting Bell, including Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman and most recently Jamari Thrash.
While Bell seemed to be on the bubble ahead of the roster cut deadline, he made the initial 53. The move to waive him on Thursday is a surprise, mostly due to the timing.
The Browns aren't expected to make a corresponding move Thursday, but they have space on the roster to do so ahead of Sunday's game against the Cowboys.
After the transaction, Bell will hit the waiver wire, and teams can decide if they want to claim him. If he clears waivers, Bell will become a free agent and can decide where he wants to sign—to a roster or a practice squad.
