When Cincinnati Bengals cornerbacks coach Steve Jackson was asked about the bond between Bengals defensive backs Eli Apple and Vonn Bell, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Apple and Bell have been close friends since 2013, when both of them were freshmen at Ohio State. After playing together in the Buckeyes’ secondary for three years, they reunited in 2018 when Apple was traded to the New Orleans Saints, the team that drafted Bell. Since March, they’ve been reunited in Cincinnati, as the Bengals signed Apple this past offseason one year after adding Bell in free agency.
By sharing a secondary together across various stages of their football careers, Bell and Apple have built a brotherly relationship with one another. And Jackson sees that every day on the practice field.
“It’s funny that you ask that,” Jackson said. “They’re like big brother and little brother out there. They get mad at each other, then they make up and everything. ’You can’t do that, Eli, why are you doing that?’ or ‘Vonn, you can’t tell me what to do.’ It’s really like watching two brothers out there. Fighting, coming together; fighting, coming together. Picking on each other, not picking on each other. But they have a very strong bond and you can tell it goes way back, and it’s good to have those guys out there that are connected like that.”
Apple and Bell have been staples on the back end of the Bengals’ defense – they’ve played the most snaps among all Cincinnati defenders this year, per Pro Football Focus – as the Bengals have made a run to the Super Bowl, in which they’ll play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (6:30 p.m., NBC), for the first time in 33 years.
Bell, who made a crucial interception to set up the Bengals’ game-winning drive in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, has been one of the Bengals’ most productive players all year, recording 97 total tackles with five tackles for loss, one interception, eight pass deflections, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery during the regular season. Bell was expected to be a leader for the Bengals’ defense when they signed him in 2020, and that’s exactly what he’s been, as he’s been named a captain by his teammates in each of his first two years in Cincinnati.
“If you look back at his career, he’s always been a winner, and he’s probably the most driven or motivated guy that I’ve ever met,” Bengals safeties coach Robert Livingston said. “Whether it’s offseason Zoom calls or showing up to the building at 5:45 or 6 in the morning every day to work out or take Pilates or do things, he is solely focused on being successful and being the best player that he can be. And when you have a leader who is doing that stuff, they’re gonna bring everybody else with him, because they don’t want to be embarrassed if they’re not working hard enough as a guy with a C on his chest.
“I think if you look over the course of the last two years, his game has really skyrocketed. He’s phenomenal in the box. He’s really improved in coverage. And is really kind of hitting his stride. So I can’t be more pleased that Vonn is here. He’s been a great addition both personally as well as professionally.”
@Vonn thats my brother https://t.co/KtY3tUneB1
— Eli Apple (@EliApple) January 31, 2022
Apple’s emergence as a top cornerback for the Bengals has come as more of a surprise. After appearing in just two games with the Carolina Panthers in 2020, Apple was no lock to make the Bengals’ roster when he signed a one-year deal with the team in March worth just $1.1 million. But Apple, who the New York Giants selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, quickly made a believer out of Jackson when he arrived in Cincinnati.
“From the first day when Eli walked into the building, you could just tell that he was coming in with confidence, he was coming in with his head in the right place and all he’s done ever since he’s walked into the building is exceed expectations for everybody,” Jackson said. “And I couldn’t be prouder of Eli and the way that he’s played this year.”
Although Apple didn’t live up to expectations with his three previous NFL teams, and courted some recent controversy by criticizing Giants and Saints fans on Twitter, he’s made a positive impression on his coaches and teammates in Cincinnati this season, in which he’s recorded 65 total tackles, two interceptions and 12 pass deflections between the regular season and playoffs.
“Eli is the kind of player that he’s not everybody’s cup of tea. But I would actually say that he is my cup of tea. Because he reminds me of a lot of the guys that I played with back in the day, and a lot fewer of the players today,” Jackson said. “He’s gonna have personality, he’s gonna have swag and he’s gonna have confidence in himself. And I love seeing him with that attitude and going out and playing that way.”
Super E #OneMore pic.twitter.com/6THUi1DNYL
— Eli Apple (@EliApple) February 9, 2022
No one has been happier to have Apple in Cincinnati than Bell.
“That’s my guy. He’s a brother. It’s gonna be a long, long life bond relationship there, because we can talk to each other how we want to, and we can express ourselves,” Bell said last week. “But he’s playing phenomenal, playing at a high level … man, I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Apple says it “feels like college days” to be playing with Bell again.
“He’s somebody that’s a great communicator,” Apple said Wednesday. “He’s super smart on the field and a playmaker. So it’s great to have him.”
”It’s really like watching two brothers out there ... But they have a very strong bond and you can tell it goes way back, and it’s good to have those guys out there that are connected like that.”– Bengals cornerbacks coach Steve Jackson on Eli Apple and Vonn Bell
Those college days, of course, came at Ohio State, where their simultaneous three-year careers were highlighted by helping lead the Buckeyes to the national championship in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Seven years later, they’re set to play for a title again as they look to lead the Bengals to their first-ever NFL championship. They’ll need to be at their best to make that happen, as they square off with an explosive Rams passing attack led by Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr., but they’ll be able to draw from their experience playing on the biggest stage at Ohio State as they look to bring another title back to Ohio this weekend.
“Knowing that every play is a huge opportunity for you to change the course of the game, so don’t press too much,” Apple said when asked what he learned from playing in the national championship game at Ohio State. “Just trust your teammates and everything will work out. And just keep believing. And I think me and Vonn do a great job of having that feel to where OK, we know when the momentum’s ready to shift, you just gotta be patient, you just gotta know and trust those opportunities.”
