Coming Off Playoff Detour, D’Anthony Bell Blessed to Return to Seahawks With Super Bowl Ring
RENTON, Wash. - Under the vast majority of circumstances, having outstanding depth at a position on an NFL roster should be seen as a good problem to have.
But as D’Anthony Bell and the Seattle Seahawks learned last December, having too many good safeties on their roster ended up coming back to bite them with the playoffs right on the doorstep. Facing a numbers game with injuries and roster needs that had to be addressed at other positions, the team waived him just before the new year on December 30, believing he would be able to slip through waivers and return as a member of the practice squad with hopes of getting him back on the roster down the line.
However, the Carolina Panthers decided to throw a wrench in those plans. In the hunt for a playoff berth of their own and familiar with Bell after facing him in Week 16, they put in a claim for the veteran defender once he hit the waiver wire and wound up adding him to their roster for the final two weeks of the regular season.
In the aftermath of the unexpected claim, Bell didn’t suit up for either of Carolina’s final two games, making his lone appearance in a Panthers uniform in a wild card round loss to the Rams with 13 special teams snaps. Meanwhile, his former team notched the No. 1 seed and eventually the Seahawks won Super Bowl LX, bringing home the Lombardi Trophy for just the second time in franchise history.
Considering how things played out, not every player would have been eager to go back to the team that waived him mere weeks before the playoffs began. But Bell didn’t hold any grudges, understanding that the NFL is a business and that everyone from coach Mike Macdonald to general manager John Schneider was disappointed when the Panthers plucked him off the wire, and after the Seahawks awarded him a Super Bowl ring for his efforts last season, he re-signed with the team in March.
“It was a lot of crazy stuff going on, but at the end of the day, I still feel blessed to be back here,” Bell said prior to Tuesday’s training camp practice. “And of course, I still showed support to the guys along their journey to go to the Super Bowl. And I was lucky enough to still get a ring. So it's still a blessing. That's how I feel about it.”
Before being claimed by the Panthers, Bell appeared in 14 games for the Seahawks, logging 251 special teams snaps along with nearly 100 defensive snaps in those contests. He starred in the third phase of the game, including blocking a punt in a blowout win over the Saints, and when coach Mike Macdonald called on him to pitch in on defense when injuries to Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori struck early in the year, he contributed a tackle for loss and a partial sack.
According to Bell, 29, the veteran safety had a couple of options in free agency and could have opted to go a different direction. Rather than start over elsewhere, however, the connection he built in Seattle remained strong despite ending last season in Carolina, especially after the organization matched their words by providing him with a ring this summer.
The opportunity to play for Macdonald, defensive backs coach Karl Scott, and the rest of the coaching staff again and rejoin many of the teammates who he built tight bonds with last season in Seattle made Bell’s decision an easy one.
“It feels like family here,” Bell said. “I know all the guys. We all super close and the coaches, I feel like they do a great job of making everything feel like a family. So to me, it was kind of a no-brainer to come back here and be with the guys.”
The Seahawks felt great about bringing Bell back into the fold in March, adding more experienced depth to the roster, and it’s safe to say that they’re feeling especially fortunate to have him on the roster after Emmanwori underwent ankle surgery one week before the start of training camp. While the organization remains hopeful that the star second-year safety will be able to return in time for the season opener against the Patriots, the veteran’s steadying presence gives them a quality alternative if they have to be without Emmanwori for a game or two.
Since camp opened, with Emmanwori sidelined as he recovers from the arthroscopic procedure, Bell has seen the bulk of Seattle’s first-team reps at strong safety, keeping the seat warm as the “big nickel” with stellar play near the line of scrimmage defending the run, blitzing the quarterback, and covering tight ends and running backs.
As Bell indicated, the role itself isn’t a new one for him, as he played some big nickel for the Seahawks last year in the regular season, including when he generated his lone sack rushing off the corner. Being the consummate pro that he is, while he’s more than prepared to step into Emmanwori’s shoes for however long the dynamic defender is out, he also hopes his teammate will be back for the season opener, understanding how critical he is to the team’s success as they aim to defend their title.
“I'm getting a lot more reps of it and I'm doing a little less safety work now and just doing a lot more nickel and trying to dial that in and just be ready in case Nick can't be back for game 1,” Bell stated. “But I'm praying that he does. I'm praying he got a speedy recovery. That's my guy. So yeah, I'm hoping he feeling good. He looking good already. So I'm looking forward to him coming back.”
In yet another way that Bell checks off the box of being a true professional, now in his sixth NFL season, he has taken on a mentor role with second round pick Bud Clark, who has seen some work of his own as a big nickel in his first training camp along with playing free safety. He also has developed a close bond with fellow veteran Rodney Thomas II, who signed with the Seahawks as a free agent in March after four seasons with the Colts.
After two weeks of camp, Bell has already seen Clark acclimate well to his new surroundings and “fitting right in,” attacking a complex playbook with an attention to details and picking up concepts quickly. Having another established veteran in Thomas to lean on has helped that process, further bolstering a unit that - even after losing Coby Bryant to the Bears in free agency - remains among the deepest and most talented safety groups in the entire NFL once again.
For Bell, despite the odd detour he had to take in December and January and the other options he turned down in free agency that may have had more playing time potential, he feels right at home back in the Pacific Northwest. One of several former Division II talents on the Seahawks’ roster right now, he’s grateful to continue his career in the place where he has felt most comfortable, and he’s excited to continue serving as an example for lower level college players with lofty goals of not just making it to the NFL, but lasting in the league.
“It's just proving that people from that level can be here and can stay here and have enough talent to be here. A while ago, it was like people didn't think D2 had enough talent to be in the NFL. Just proving that we can be here and we've been here long enough to show that we can stay here. So it's a blessing. I'm glad to be able to be a part of it and show people that they can do it.”
