The most impactful free agent signing made by Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer this offseason might be strong safety Vonn Bell.
Bell’s 3-year, $22.5 million deal should have a two-for-one benefit for the Panthers - not only are they getting a strong player in Bell, his presence will also help maximize Jeremy Chinn’s skills. But more on that later.
Vonn Bell’s background
After a successful career at Ohio State, the 5-foot-11, 205-pounder was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He started 14 of 16 games as a rookie and recorded an impressive 87 tackles with one sack.
Over the next two seasons he was a part-time starter who still stuffed the stat sheet. In 2017 he started 10 of 16 games with 83 tackles and followed that up in 2018 with eight starts over 16 games with 89 tackles.
In 2019, his fourth and final season with the Saints, Bell started all 13 games he played in and suddenly developed a nose for turnovers. He recorded his first career interception that season and somehow recovered five fumbles. Vonn finished the season with 89 tackles, meaning in each of his four years in New Orleans he registered between 83 and 89 tackles each season, showing remarkable consistency.
In 2020 Bell signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and immediately had the best season of his career. In his first year in Cincy he had 114 tackles, five passes defended (though no picks), four quarterback hits (though no sacks), three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Between 2021 and 2022 he began to make more of an impact defending the pass. Over the last two seasons he had a total of 16 passes defended and five interceptions to go along with 174 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. He also stayed healthy in Cincinnati by playing in all 48 possible regular season games.
Along with the solid stats comes solid leadership. Bell was voted a team captain each of his three seasons with the Bengals. He has also started seven playoff games over the last two seasons, and that veteran experience can help a Panthers team looking to return to the postseason.
Vonn Bell’s impact on Jeremy Chinn
The Panthers didn’t just land a potential team captain who can rack up 100 tackles in 2023 by signing Vonn Bell, they can also now maximize Jeremy Chinn’s skill set.
Chinn had an electric rookie season in 2020 when he racked up 117 tackles. He looked like a surefire future Pro Bowler after his year in the NFL, but his continued struggles in pass coverage over the past two years have been glaring. Chinn is a phenomenal tackler as evidenced by his 294 tackles in 42 career games (an average of seven tackles per game), but he’s often a liability when dropping deep into pass coverage. His struggles against the pass is why PFF ranked Chinn as just the No. 79 or 89 safeties last year, though that seems overly harsh to me.
In a piece written by Brooke Cersosimo at NFL.com, she noted that in 2021 Chinn played 52 percent of his snaps in the box (closer to the line of scrimmage) and registered career high marks from PFF that season. But last year he played just 26 percent of his snaps in the box, regularly putting him far from the line of scrimmage. Those of us who watch the Panthers saw the challenges this presented for him. With Vonn Bell now on the roster, Jeremy Chinn can move closer to the line of scrimmage and blow up ball carriers while Bell and fellow safety Xavier Woods take care of the back end.
In that same NFL.com article Chinn said that Bell’s arrival should be a positive for him. “It’s something I’m super excited about, being closer to the action,” he was quoted as saying. “It allows me to use my speed and physicality to make plays on the ball.”
Vonn Bell brings solid play and veteran leadership to the Carolina Panthers secondary.
His presence should also free up Jeremy Chinn to wreak havoc against the run.
Adding Vonn Bell to the secondary while freeing up Jeremy Chinn to focus on what he does best should have a huge impact on the Panthers defense in 2023. Signing Vonn Bell might do more for the Panthers as a whole this year than any other free agent addition.
Loading comments...