'Onward:' Lions' Ronnie Bell taps into Harbaugh mantra, underdog mentality while competing for job in deep WR room

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Allen Park — If you missed Ronnie Bell signing with the Detroit Lions, no one could really blame you.

Following the team’s premature playoff exit at the hands of Washington in January, most fans were still working their way through the five stages of grief. And those who rapidly made it to acceptance were still affected by varying degrees of apathy, requiring a break from team news, at least until both coordinators needed to be replaced.

Bell, the former University of Michigan standout, inked a futures deal with the Lions early into that hangover period, a mere three days after the loss. Who could have reasonably noticed?

Maybe, in a different timeline, the addition generates more interest. If the Lions were coming off a five-win season, those same fans would have been looking for any morsel of offseason optimism. Without question, it’s easier to imagine unearthing a gem when a former Wolverine or Spartan star benefits from nostalgia clouding the evaluation.

But in this timeline, where the Lions are expected to win the division and contend for Super Bowls, a timeline where they have a two-time All-Pro and blazing fast former first-round pick coming off his first 1,000-yard season, who is thinking about what Bell could bring to the table?

Then, before the newcomer could even slip on his Honolulu blue jersey for the first time, the Lions selected two receivers in the draft, including an uber athlete with local ties that they aggressively traded up to land in the third round.

Wait, who did we say the Lions signed in January?

Don’t worry, Bell is used to being an afterthought. Of course, he’s also used to overcoming long odds.

In case you forgot, or maybe never knew, Bell wasn’t even going to play football in college. Despite being one of the most productive pass catchers in Missouri high school history, he initially committed to Missouri State to play basketball before Jim Harbaugh swooped in and extended Bell his lone D-I offer.

With a loaded receiver recruiting crop the year before, led by Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins, few expected much from the late addition to the Wolverines' 2018 class. Yet in his second season at Michigan, Bell led the team in receiving. He’d end up doing that three times in four years, the exception being the 2021 campaign, when he suffered a torn ACL in the opener.

Bell also defied the odds as a seventh-round draft pick for the San Francisco 49ers, making their Super Bowl-caliber roster twice out of training camp and appearing in 17 games as a rookie in 2023.

Needless to say, he’s pretty comfortable in the underdog role.

“It's a part of me and I feel like it's who I am,” Bell said. “When I went to Michigan, I went in as the basketball guy, and nobody really thought much of me. I use that every day as fuel to make something of myself, make something happen.

“Same thing in San Fran,” Bell said. “When I first got out there as a seventh-rounder, people didn't think I would even make the squad. That was crazy. Now, same thing here. The depth in the room is kind of, 'Oh, what are you going to be able to do?' No, that's fuel. You have to make something of yourself, make yourself valuable, make it happen.”

There’s no confusing Detroit’s situation. Three weeks into camp, Bell remains a long shot to make the roster. The depth chart as his position is stacked, and the Lions are already on track to carry six receivers into Week 1 with rookies Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett both showing long-term promise. Hell, undrafted rookie Jackson Meeks has flashed enough on offense and special teams to merit a spot most years. Still, it will be tricky to justify a seventh.

Bell, he might be eighth on the depth chart. Might be. That depends on where you think the team stands on Tom Kennedy. They certainly have liked him enough to keep him around for the past seven years.

Bell isn’t concerned about the numbers game, pulling inspiration from his former Michigan coach.

“You can't look at it that way,” Bell said. “Like coach Harbaugh used to always say, 'Onward!' You just have to keep your head down and push through. Especially in a setting like camp, man. Every day is a new day to continue to better yourself, make yourself valuable and show what you can do. What you did the day before, it doesn't really count. It doesn't mean anything. Today is a new day and you have to do it all over again.”

It’s a good thing because the first day of training camp is one Bell is happy to forget. He stood out for the wrong reasons, getting barked at by position coach Scottie Montgomery multiple times for missed assignments.

Bell admits he felt like he was in a washing machine that day, swaying in a circular motion as he attempted to convey the overwhelming amount of information he was trying to process and take to the field as he was learning Detroit's scheme.

Regardless of those initial lumps, his acclimation has been steady. Bell logged just five snaps in the preseason opener, a damning workload for a guy scrapping for a job. However, that jumped to 16 in last week’s game against Atlanta, which was cut short due to teammate Morice Norris' injury. Bell caught both of his targets for 26 yards in the exhibition contest, including a chain-mover on third-and-9. He also showed up repeatedly in the run game as a blocker.

He’s forcing people to notice him, like he always has. And when injuries depleted Detroit’s receiving depth chart during the team’s first joint practice with Miami this week, Bell was asked to step in with the first-team offense during a two-minute drill. He even managed to catch a pass from starting quarterback Jared Goff on the successful series.

“Yeah, he’s pretty steady,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He is a pretty smart guy, and because of that, he mentally knows the positions, and we got down there, we had lost a few guys, and so we needed him, and I thought he stepped in there and knew what to do.

“Look he puts the work in,” Campbell continued. “You see his blocking. He’ll block on the perimeter, and he’s another guy that’s kind of a crafty receiver. So, he’s been pretty dependable for us in the preseason here and training camp.”

Bell is doing the little things right to get recognized by the team’s decision-makers. There’s a reason he’s here, after all. He’s the archetype of guys the Lions target at the position. He offers a modest frame, but he’s smart and an above-average athlete. He also plays with a chip on his shoulder — a.k.a grit — and with the physicality the team demands in the run game.

A slot on the 53-man roster is probably a bridge too far, barring some unforeseen injuries. However, a spot on the practice squad isn’t out of the question. The Lions carried three receivers on that 16-man unit most of last season, with Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson eventually earning main roster spots, and Kennedy and Maurice Alexander seeing some regular-season action.

“Hopefully, that's what I can do, keep showing them when they need (No.) 10, I can be the guy that they need, however they need me,” Bell said. “I just want to be part of this team. I just want to make this team better. I want to help win games for this team.”

In the meantime, Bell will keep grinding, trying to stack days, with Saturday’s preseason game against Miami his next opportunity. Plus, as an added bonus with his return to his second home, he gets to be closer to his brother, Kendrick Bell, who followed in Ronnie’s footsteps and is preparing for his third season at Michigan after offseason knee surgery.

“It's been kind of a grueling process for him to get back,” Ronnie said. “But, man, he's healthy and he looks good. I'm excited for him. He's been flying around in camp. I'm so excited for him.

“Yeah, definitely, (it’s been great coming back to) something familiar, but also to be close to him, just knowing I can be there for him as much as possible.”