Browns rookie makes Jarvis Landry an afterthought

The Cleveland Browns let Jarvis Landry go earlier this year, and rookie wide receiver David Bell is already making it clear why.

That Brown got their new quarterback in Deshaun Watson. They give him a new reception corps to work with in 2022.

In March, the team fired Jarvis Landry and tight end Austin Hooper, losing their top two pass catchers from 2021.

They traded in Amari Cooper and then got her husband to draft David Bell in the third round of the NFL draft. The latter is already causing a stir.

Browns rookie David Bell makes Jarvis Landry an afterthought

Media present at the practices to date have raved about Bell’s strong hands and reliability.

Bell was a baller at Purdue. He hit 22 touchdowns in three years with 1,000-yard campaigns in 2019 and 2021. He was on track for a third in 2020 if the Boilermakers had played a full season.

He earned consensus All-American honors as a junior before putting his name in the NFL draft pool and graduating with the sixth-highest total receptions in Big Ten history.

While perception around his limited cap got him into the late third round, Cleveland should benefit from adding a receiver with so much consistent career productivity.

Bell will have the chance to slip straight into a starting role in the slot. It looks like he will compete with Donovan Peoples-Jones to be Watson’s No. 2 target alongside Cooper.

Early signs for Bell are looking good, but with the hype comes expectations. He must go out and do justice to them.