Dillon Bell's Vikings Roster Spot Chances Are Looking Dire

EAGAN, MN — The NFL offseason can be a wild ride. Players often gain hype, only to make little impact when it matters most. Heck, early camp reports from 2020 had Bisi Johnson outperforming a rookie Justin Jefferson. The reality is, a player’s trajectory is never based solely on their best moments, but on what they do consistently. 

For many young players across the NFL, they are about to learn this the hard way, as roster cuts are coming this Sunday. The Vikings have several bubble roster players who once garnered hype, but one in particular may have had the highest expectations heading into camp. 

Outside of the contentious Vikings QB battle, one offensive player’s name dominated offseason discourse through OTA’s and mini-camp: Dillon Bell. The wideout out of Georgia was widely seen as one of the more intriguing undrafted signings and kept the hype train going through the spring.

But so far through camp, Bell’s performance has left much to be desired, especially as other wideouts on the roster have stacked together impressive performances consistently. 

Bell began with strong flashes

Bell was not a typical receiving prospect coming out of college. The 22-year-old totaled only 1,269 receiving yards and 11 receiving TDs through 56 games over four seasons. His 373 total rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs added an extra layer of intrigue, as he proved capable of impacting the game in multiple ways with the ball in his hands.

Once he arrived in Minnesota, he appeared ready to take the next step, often being a major standout through rookie camp to mandatory minicamp. Bell’s catches littered Vikings social media as No. 89 started to gain attention.