Bell could have an immediate opportunity to see high snap volumes if he can carve out a slot role. His competition will consist of two other young receivers in Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz, although both players mostly played on the outside in 2021.
To put it simply: The role is there for Bell to take, and the Browns have made it clear that they believe he has the tools to grab it as a rookie and be a sizable contributor in their offense from the jump.
“I think he has versatility outside and inside,” coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday. “I do think he has a natural competitiveness both in route-running and in route-catching, and the ability in the route-running game to set people up and drop your weight. Those type of things.”
That goes hand-in-hand with what Bell believes is the top advantage of playing in the slot.
Typically, the slot cornerback lines up a few yards behind the scrimmage rather than beginning the play right in the receiver’s face. The extra room allows for…