Cincinnati Bengals safety Vonn Bell didn’t stop watching the team last year despite joining the Carolina Panthers via free agency.
After re-upping with the Bengals, Bell told onlookers at Paycor Stadium that he’s back to finish what he started.
“My eyes were still on it. I was watching every game. Watching every game, for sure. That’s what I was telling them. ‘That’s my people right there.’ Always kept in and locked in, kept tabs and saw how guys were doing. Checking in on them, for sure,” Bell said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Guys have to be on the same page. We have to see things the same. That’s huge, because if you get past us, strike up the band. Explosives can lose a game and you never want to do that when you’ve got a great offense.”
Bell calls the Bengals “home” and doesn’t sound too thrilled that a 2-15 team just cut him, either.
But the big takeaway from his presser was that the veteran safety kept eyes on the Bengals regardless of what was going on in Carolina and that he’s back to throw out a zero-tolerance policy on the communication issues that crushed the team in explosive allowances last year.
We’re a long ways from knowing how Lou Anarumo employs his safeties next season. New arrival Geno Stone is more of a rangy back-end playmaker like Dax Hill, who could move around to other spots, while Jordan Battle remains promising, too.
But as stressed in our analysis of the reunion, Bell’s mere presence and ability to impart schematic details and make real-time communication calls is more important than stat sheet production for a unit that needs the veteran leadership.
