Vonn Bell

BIOGRAPHY

Vonn Bell was born on December 12, 1994 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is a safety in the National Football League.

Bell's first two years of high school were at Chattanooga Central High School in Harrison, Tennessee, where he received all district honors. Bell then attended Ridgeland High School in Rossville, Georgia. In Bell's senior year he led Ridgeland to the Georgia class AAAA state championship but lost to Sandy Creek 41-10. He was rated by both Rivals.com and Scout.com as a five-star recruit and was ranked among the number two safety in the country. Bell was rated as a five-star recruit by 247 Sports and a high four-star by ESPN who rated him as the 50th best player overall in the nation regardless of position. Bell was elected to play in the 2013 Under Armour All-American game. On February 6, 2013 he committed to The Ohio State University.

Bell played in all 13 games as a backup his freshman season in 2013, but made his first career start on January 3, 2014 in the Discover Orange Bowl where he recorded his first collegiate interception. Bell became a full-time starter for the Buckeyes his sophomore season in 2014. He played in all 15 games recording 91 tackles and a conference-leading six interceptions. In the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship victory over Oregon, he recorded six tackles and a sack.

The New Orleans Saints selected Bell in the second round (61st overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. They traded their third-round (78th overall) and fourth-round (112th overall) selections to the New England Patriots in order to move up to the 61st pick, which the Patriots acquired in a trade that sent Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for the pick and Jonathan Cooper. and the Saints selected Bell.

He made his professional regular-season debut in the New Orleans Saints' season-opening game against the Oakland Raiders. The following week, he made his first career start, as a nickelback, and recorded a season-high nine combined tackles against the New York Giants in Week 2. He made his first career tackle on wide receiver Sterling Shepard during the game, after Shepard caught a five-yard pass on the Giants' first offensive snap. On November 9, 2016, Bell recorded six combined tackles and was credited with half a sack during a 41–23 victory at the San Francisco 49ers. He made his first career sack with teammate Cameron Jordan, as they tackled quarterback Colin Kaepernick for a five-yard loss in the third quarter. In Week 15, he tied his season-high of nine combined tackles and forced a fumble in the Saints' 48–41 victory at the Arizona Cardinals. He finished his rookie season in 2016 with 87 combined tackles (61 solo), four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 16 games and 14 starts.

In 2020, he signed a three-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. Against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, Bell recorded an interception off Patrick Mahomes in overtime, helping the Bengals win 27–24 and advancing to Super Bowl LVI. 

Bell joined the Carolina Panthers in 2023.