Lou Anarumo wasted no time in recruiting Vonn Bell back to Cincinnati

Cincinnati should have a much-improved safety room in 2024.

Vonn Bell is getting older, and the Carolina Panthers are getting younger. Unless Bryce Young came in and gave CJ Stroud-like performances, the marriage between the two was never going to be successful.

That divorce is what led to Bell being back on the market, and while he may not be as impactful as he was during his last stint with the Cincinnati Bengals, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo wasted no time in ensuring he’s been in the stripes next season.

“I think it was 4:01 on Wednesday,” Anarumo said of when he contacted Bell, according to Dave Lapham on In the Trenches.

For reference, the NFL doesn’t allow players and coaches to talk with free agents until that mark. Basically, once Anarumo was allowed to, he did.

Especially considering the Bengals lacked safety presence a season ago and had a disgustingly high explosive play allowed rate, the team needed to make some changes, and bringing back a hard-hitting Bell both for his leadership and depth was a terrific move.

“His value, as I said, you can’t just write it down on a piece of paper and say ‘Here’s what he brings,’ because it’s all the intangible things. He’ll be able to help all of our young DBs just because of all of his experiences, both on and off the field,” Anarumo said.

The Bengals also added Geno Stone from Baltimore, which should give them an edge in the secondary.

With other up-and-coming players like Dax Hill and Jordan Battle, Cincinnati should have a much-improved safety room in 2024, and adding Bell should prove to be among the smarter decisions of the offseason.