D’Anthony Bell moved to a Division-II school, then to two junior colleges, all as a teen.
In between, he didn’t play football for a year. No one wanted him.
In that year he worked for his dad’s construction company. He volunteered at his hometown church in Georgia.
He got a second chance at a second Division-II program. Then he used excelling in an extra, COVID season to get into the NFL.
This spring, after once starting at safety in an NFL playoff game for them, the Cleveland Browns gave up on Bell.
So this in Seattle? Learning a new defense, all four new special teams, new Seahawks teammates and coaches far across the continent from his firm, north-central Georgia roots?
No, this is not fazing D’Anthony Bell.
Into his fourth NFL training camp, the veteran of 50 league games at safety and special teams with Cleveland remains thrilled for this opportunity to make the Seahawks in 2025.
New Seahawks safety D’Anthony Bell, formerly with the Cleveland Browns, signs autographs for young fans following the fourth practice of Seattle’s NFL training camp Saturday, July 26, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.
“You know, you kind of don’t realize how much you miss football until you’re not playing it,” the 28-year-old Bell told The News Tribune at Seahawks training camp this week.
He had finished redshirting one season, 2015, as a wide receiver at Albany State University, in his home state. He then spent a year paying his own way playing for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. Iowa Central’s coaches converted him to safety.
Then, no offers. No school wanted him to play football anymore. So he grunted through daily work pouring concrete and lugging boulders in 2017 for his dad Anthony’s construction company in his hometown of Covington, Georgia. The son put the big rocks in the silver-and-blue, metal Kobalt-brand wheelbarrow he pulled and dragged across Dad’s job sites that year.
How does Bell recall the exacts, physical characteristics of that wheelbarrow, eight years later?
The scratched and dinged tool remains in his family’s backyard in Covington. It reminds him when he’s home of where he’s from, and how appreciative he is of where he is.
“So at that time, you know, I’m seeing all my teammates still playing ball, all my people that I know from junior colleges still play football,” Bell said of his 2017. “And, you know, it was kind of sad at the time, because I didn’t know if I’ll ever be playing again.
“That’s why I never take it for granted now, just knowing that I’m able to play this game at the highest level at that.
“I’m just blessed to be here.”
New Seahawks safety D’Anthony Bell during special-teams drills at the eighth practice of Seattle’s NFL training camp July 31, 2025, and the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.
Bell’s harder path
Bell is here as a bigger (6 feet 1, 211 pounds) safety coach Mike Macdonald loves, because he persevered.
He didn’t play for four college programs because of NIL cash, not because of the unregulated transfer portal that has dominated college football the last few years. This was before that.
He bounced around from school to school to school to school because he wanted to play football. He didn’t want to give up his dream to proceed to his life’s work. Not at 20 years old.
He saved the money his dad paid him for the construction job for tuition at any college that would let him play football again. Yet no one — no Division-II school, no junior college, certainly not Division-I and the usual springboard into the NFL — wanted him.
The other thing Bell did in that 2017 away from football at age 20?
“Just going to church, believing in God,” he said. “I do a lot of things with the church. At the time, I was unloading trucks for my church (in Covington). We do food giveaways and stuff, which I still give money to the church.
“So, just believing in God and trusting in my ability that when a chance came, I’ll just take advantage.”
Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, gave him that chance. Coaches there called him at the end of that year. They needed a safety. Bell practically ran to Kansas.
Starring there got him a scholarship to Division-II University of West Florida. He was teammates there in Pensacola with Matt Gotel, the Tacoma native and former Lakes High School defensive tackle who spent time with the Seahawks in 2022, ‘23 and ‘24.
Bell wasn’t one of the 262 players selected in the 2022 NFL draft. The Browns signed him as a rookie free agent that spring. That summer he excelled on every one of the special-teams units — kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return. He beat out veterans to make Cleveland’s 53-man regular-season roster.
Then-Cleveland Browns safety D’Anthony Bell (37) celebrates an interception against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first quarter of their NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati Jan. 7, 2024.
D’Anthony Bell’s NFL career so far
He started seven games at safety, “in the box” close to the line of scrimmage often to stop the run, over three seasons for the Browns. He played 60%, 70% and 85% of Cleveland’s special-teams snaps these last three seasons. He played 21% of their defensive snaps in 2023. Bell’s interception late in a week 15 game in Cleveland clinched a Browns win over the Bears.
On Jan. 13, 2024, Bell started at safety in Cleveland’s AFC wild-card playoff game at Houston. He’s made it.
Or so he thought.
After another strong season mainly on all special teams, the Browns had Bell as a restricted free agent for the first time. A tender offer of $2.8 million, at the lowest, on a $255 million salary cap was all the Browns needed to tender Bell to keep their home-grown find.
They didn’t. They released Bell into unrestricted free agency this offseason.
He says now he was surprised.
“I’m not too sure (why). … I was in Cleveland for a good while. I feel like I did some good things there. Had some good seasons there,” he said.
“But hey, I’m part of this now.”
Special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh (white cap) next to safety D’Anthony Bell (23) during kickoff-coverage drills in Seattle Seahawks NFL training camp July 31, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.
Coach Jeff Howard to Seattle
Bell got this chance in Seattle largely because of Jeff Howard.
The safeties coach new head man Mike Macdonald made one of 22 new coaches on the 2024 Seahawks, Howard was Bell’s defensive backs coach in Cleveland in 2022.
“Coming out of the draft with (the) East-West Shrine Game (for NFL prospects leaving college), I had already had been in contact with Coach Jeff,” Bell said, “because he also was my safety coach my first year with the Browns. So we had a great connection.”
Howard and the Seahawks invited Bell out for a free-agent visit this spring.
“I loved all the coaches here, head coach, I just loved everybody,” Bell said. “Everybody seemed like it clicked. Everybody wanted to win.”
Bell began this week getting snaps on the Seahawks’ starting defense as a third safety with Pro Bowl veteran Julian Love and Coby Bryant in some of Macdonald’s changing, versatile schemes. Macdonald likes Bell’s physicality tackling. Special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh likes Bell’s NFL experience making tackles in the open field on special teams.
Asked for his goals for this Seahawks chance, Bell doesn’t say “make the team.”
Given his experience, and proven ability plus versatility, he seems destined to do that.
“There’s some familiarity with our staff and pro personnel department that brought (Bell) in,” Macdonald said. “Again, it’s an understanding about the type of people we want to bring into our building and onto our team.”
The head coach says Bell has shown that.
“Just the work ethic. It’s a different system than (he’s) used to playing. But, frankly, the special teams ability is the tip of the spear.”
Macdonald loves Bell’s physicality, and his blue-collar work ethic. The coach values guys who value special-teams excellence. Bell played them all in Cleveland: kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return.
He’s doing all those for Macdonald and the Seahawks. That is increasing his chances he’s going to make this team when Seattle has to set its initial 53-man roster for the regular season by the NFL deadline of Aug. 27.
“He’s a physical player. Plays fast. Decisive,” Macdonald said of Bell. “Great attitude about him. Great spirit. He’s got a play-making ability that a lot of the guys on our defense have, which is really cool.
“I wish you could take credit for it as a coach. But I think it’s one of those things where ball finds energy. You play the right way, play fast, you run to the ball, you make decisive decisions in real time, seems like the ball comes your way.
“I think the most value you’re going to see from him is this guy is a tremendous special teams player, has a leadership capability to him, and has a real command of our punt team right now.”
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald talks with players as they warm up during training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 25, 2025, in Renton, Wash.
As Bell keeps alive that dream he didn’t give up on while out of football eight years ago, 2,700 miles from home, he thinks of what got here to Seattle. What got him through the year pulling the wheelbarrow, needing to earn money and another football chance.
“Mainly just my family, you know? My family still believing in me,” Bell said. “Hearing my mom (Cheryl) and grandma (Shirley Lattimore) telling me every day, ‘Somebody’s gonna reach out. Just keep your head down. Keep working out.
“’Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s gonna pay off.’”