Jacob

Bell

“Training camp may be a reach for him right now,” coach Jeff Fisher said Saturday.

Tennessee, who had major offensive line issues last year, has a lot of turnover, with starters playing different positions at both tackle positions and a new center. It could stall any growth for the offense.

Bell visited Cincinnati early in free agency, and his market had gone dead since. He likely accepted a vet-minimum deal. Now 31 years old, Bell has long been overrated by league evaluators and has clearly declined. The Bengals shouldn’t count on Bell to provide anything more than depth at the guard spots.

A source tells Profootballtalk that Bell “simply lost the desire to play.” The 31-year-old started 100-of-109 career games with the Titans and Rams before signing with the Bengals last month. With first-rounder Kevin Zeitler slated for a starting job, Bell was headed for a reserve role in Cincinnati. Bell’s effectiveness fell off precipitously in St. Louis last season.

This is a down grade to the Titans offensive line.

Bell had a miserable year in St. Louis last season, routinely getting blown up in both the pass and run game before a sprained right MCL sent him to injured reserve in December. He played much better in 2010, however, and may still draw interest as a starter.

Bell called Seau’s suicide the “cherry on top,” meaning it pushed him into retirement. “God knows what he was really struggling and dealing with,” Bell said. “But you have to believe it came from the game of football.” Bell isn’t sure how many concussions he suffered in St. Louis. “If you’re telling me ‘I’m seeing stars’ is some sort of concussion, then you’re getting a couple a week,” explained Bell. “You’re going to get a minimum 30 concussions in a season. That just gives you a ballpark figure of what people are truly dealing with.”

The Rams are “early in talks” with Chamberlain, who was one of the team’s better run defenders as a first-year starter. The coaching staff also believes Bell showed improved blocking ability later in the season. Jones was considered for the franchise tag at one point.

He’s a candidate for injured reserve. Bell had been the only Rams’ offensive lineman to still be playing the same position he was in Week 1 before going down Sunday. Coach Steve Spagnuolo has yet to announce how the Rams will shuffle their line, but Tony Wragge is a good bet to take over at left guard.