It's always a story fans love when a local product makes his way to the pro team, which is what the Detroit Lions could, in theory, have. Unfortunately, former Michigan Wolverines and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ronnie Bell is likely to be cut by the Lions as the team looks to clear cap space in June.
The Lions signed Bell in January to a reserve/future contract after he finished the 2024 season on the 49ers practice squad.
The 49ers selected Bell out of Ann Arbor in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He struggled to find his footing with San Francisco in his first two seasons in the NFL. Bell has struggled for the most part with dropped passes. In last season's Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Bell dropped a deep pass late in the fourth quarter that would've put the 49ers in field-goal range.
The 49ers would go on to lose that game to the Rams, 27-24, which proved to be a crucial loss early in the season. In his rookie season, Bell showed promise, playing in all 17 regular-season games, collecting 13 catches for 68 yards. Bell experienced a bit of regression in his sophomore season with the Niners, however, as he collected just two catches for six yards in nine games played.
Ronnie Bell is clear cut candidate for Lions despite Michigan ties
Cutting Bell would save the Lions cap space heading into training camp. Specifically, according to Over the Cap, Detroit would save $1.03 million by cutting the wide receiver at any point. He's on a non-guaranteed contract, meaning he's ostensibly on a tryout basis with this team.
Just as important, beyond the cap savings, is the situation Bell is walking into. The Lions already have a talented wide receiver group returning, including additions in the offseason. Keeping Bell seems unnecessary for a Lions team that is in win-now mode and can already get consistent contributions out of other receivers on the roster.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, and Kalif Raymond are set to return for the 2025 season. The Lions added young talent at the wide receiver position in the draft with Issac TeSlaa from Arkansas and Dominic Lovett from Georgia. Where does Bell fit into that group? The simple answer is that he just doesn't, especially with the commitments made to the rest of those players.
This almost surely won't be the end of Bell's NFL opportunities, but the feel-good story of him playing in Detroit might ultimately be short-lived.