9 Browns Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday's Roster Deadline
7. D'Anthony Bell
The battle between 2022 undrafted free agent D'Anthony Bell and 2023 UDFA Ronnie Hickman for the fourth and final safety spot on the roster has been one of the most fun stories of the Browns' preseason.
Bell was the first Browns UDFA to make the roster in years, and he played a significant role on special teams.
Hickman signed as a UDFA this year and absolutely showed out in the preseason games.
The rookie, Ronnie Hickman Jr., gets his third #NFLPreseason INT 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2023
📺: #CLEvsPHI on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/UYt8n3ye6z
It hurts to see either of them go, but I just don't thnk "experience playing special teams' is enough of a sell to put Bell over the top. Special teams is important, but it's also not like it's an irreplaceable skillset. Hickman isn't as physical as Bell, but he should still be able to contribute on specials, and his upside at safety is too much to resist.
Fingers crossed Bell clears waivers and we can keep him on the practice squad.