David Bell’s football career is over. The Browns wide receiver, though, made it clear it had nothing to do with anything on the field.
“Several months ago, I was blindsided by an off-field injury that was beyond my control, which put my football future in jeopardy,” Bell said in a farewell post on X. “After consulting with medical experts and praying, I accept that continuing to play football would literally risk life and limb. Although it is the last think I would otherwise want to do, with a heavy heart I am announcing my retirement.”
Neither Bell nor the Browns have said what the injury was that led to the announcement. He has been on the non-football injury list since the start of training camp.
The Browns had originally hoped Bell would be at least part of their answer at wide receiver when they selected him in the third round of the 2022 draft (No. 99 overall). The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder had come off a record-setting college career at Purdue University,
Thank You Cleveland 🤞🏾🤎 pic.twitter.com/0Lp084Mvik
— David Bell (@DB3LL) October 14, 2025
Bell was never able to reach those heights, however. He played in 31 of a possible 34 regular-season games over his first two seasons in the NFL, with three starts.
However, Bell was waived ahead of the 2024 season opener, only to be brought back on the practice squad. He was elevated to the gameday roster for a Week 2 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he sustained a season-ending hip injury.
Bell retires with 41 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns on 61 targets. His best statistical season was his rookie year, when he had 24 catches for 214 yards on 35 targets.
Bell’s biggest moments came in 2023 when he had two massive fourth-down catches to help the Browns win home games against the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars on their way to an 11-win season and the playoffs. They were his lone catches in each game.
Against the 49ers, Bell had a 6-yard catch on fourth-and-4 from the San Francisco 40 that kept a field goal drive alive late in the fourth quarter of a 19-17 come-from-behind win. Against the Jaguars, his 41-yard TD catch on fourth-and-3 early in the fourth quarter helped open up a two-touchdown lead in what ended up being a 31-27 win.
Bell’s final two games in the 2023 season were two of his best, including the AFC wild card game at the Houston Texans, where he had a team-high eight catches for 54 yards. The previous game, the regular-season finale at the Cincinnati Bengals, he had two touchdowns and 68 yards on four catches.
