Browns safeties Ronnie Hickman, D'Anthony Bell 'ready when their number was called'

BEREA — The young safety tandem of D'Anthony Bell and Ronnie Hickman will get a lot of playing time Sunday when the Browns close out the regular season at the Cincinnati Bengals. The circumstances of the game really weren't likely to matter all that much to that point.

The Browns are expected to rest a number of key players against the Bengals. For Cleveland (11-5), the game is meaningless since it has already clinched the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs next weekend.

Part of the reason why the game has been rendered meaningless for the Browns' playoff hopes is because of how those two young safeties have played when thrust into significantly more meaningful games over the last month.

"Those guys were ready when their number was called," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said Thursday "… The thing I've been most proud about both of those guys, they've been so assignment sound. Ronnie's a rookie and D-Bell is still a young player that's mainly been a special team role, and a lot of times when those guys come in, you're sort of fighting being assignment sound and being in the right spots, but they've been in the right spots. They've had very few missed assignments. They've played like veterans, and at this point of the year, there are no rookies."

Bell is in his second NFL season, while Hickman is in his first.

Their journey to the league is similar: Both entered as undrafted free agents. Bell was a 25-year-old who was on his fourth college when he emerged after the 2021 season from Division II West Florida, while Hickman is a 22-year-old out of one of college football's biggest powers, Ohio State.

That background has forged a bond between the two safeties that has only strengthened as they've been asked to play significantly more snaps than earlier in the season.

"He was a guy I was able to lean on and talk to from day one," Hickman told the Beacon Journal this week. "We shared similar of stories as far as being undrafted guys and having to make the 53 (man roster), and he did that last year and he did it. He played the whole season last year, so he was a guy I stayed asking questions and very thankful he was able to share the information that he had and now we're out there on the field together. It's great. We started in preseason together, so for us to kind of be back out there together now, it's really fun."

As the regular season comes to a conclusion and the playoff draw near, the two young safeties have been forged by the heat of a December playoff push. They were front and center in that push when injuries turned them from backups to starters.

Hickman was thrown into the fire when starter Juan Thornhill went out after pregame warmups before the Week 14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. By the time that game ended, Bell was also on the field after a groin injury that landed Grant Delpit on injured reserve for the remainder of the regular season.

Bell's reputation was developed more on special teams, with 580 snaps in that area over two seasons compared to just 236 on defense. Of those 236 defensive snaps, 164 were this season, including 142 over the past four games.

"I really just try to do my best to help the team," Bell told the Beacon Journal. "I really haven't even thought too much about whether I'm a special team guy, somebody that can be in as a safety. I just did what I could do to help the team win and got in the right position and made a couple plays."

Both have "made a couple of plays" along the way instead of just being along for the ride. Bell nearly had a game-clinching interception in the end zone against the Jaguars, then came back the next week to intercept the Chicago Bears' last-second Hail Mary.

Hickman's big play flipped the momentum entirely in the Browns favor in their playoff-clinching win over the New York Jets. He stepped in front of his former Ohio State teammate, Jets receiver Garrett Wilson, intercepted a Trevor Siemian pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to give the Browns a 20-7 first-quarter lead.

"I mean, it was great," Hickman said. "Pick six is probably one of the best plays you can make on the defensive side. Anytime you can put points up on the board for the team, and for me, catching my first pick was huge and special moment for me, so it was just a great feeling."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ronnie Hickman, D'Anthony Bell have been 'ready' for Browns at safety