METAIRIE — Vonn Bell is making a name for himself in the New Orleans Saints secondary.

He has been a member of the secondary longer than any of the other starters and yet he has been perhaps the most anonymous member of the group.

One cornerback, Marshon Lattimore, made a name for himself as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year two years ago.

Free safety Marcus Williams arrived in the same draft as Lattimore and also had a standout rookie season, though it was marred by a missed tackle that cost New Orleans a playoff game against Minnesota.

The other cornerback, Eli Apple, was acquired in a trade last September to be the final piece to the secondary puzzle.

Bell, though, hasn’t had as clear an identity even though he entered this season having played in all 48 games and started 32 in the three seasons since being a second-round draft choice out of Ohio State.

Now things are starting to change.

Two weeks ago Bell returned a fumble 33 yards for a touchdown that proved to be critical in a 33-27 victory at Seattle.

Last week he recovered two more fumbles, causing one, to help spearhead an outstanding defensive effort in a 12-10 victory against Dallas. The Cowboys, who had scored more than 30 points and gained more than 400 yards in winning each of their previous three games, gained just 256 yards.

The victory against the Cowboys was New Orleans’ first under head coach Payton in which the team didn’t score a touchdown.

“What an opportunity. What a challenge for this defense,” Bell said. “We have been wanting this challenge, to put it on us. We stepped up to the challenge. We hit a home run. We want to set this team up in position to win games. We want to take ownership and kind of put it on us, put it on our shoulders. That’s what we did. We have a resilient group.

“Hats off to the guys on the defense. We all play together. It’s a team first and foremost. That’s what we always preach upon is team and how do we help this team win games.”

Bell has stood out the most among the defenders in the two games New Orleans has played since losing quarterback Drew Brees to a thumb injury.

When Brees was hurt in the first quarter against the Rams three weeks ago, the defense kept the team in the game until wearing down in the fourth quarter of a 27-9 defeat.

“We’ve been playing great since that Rams game,” Bell said. “We just wanted to put all four quarters together because we’ve been playing good halves and good quarters here and there, but we just wanted to put a game together. That’s what we did (against Dallas). We put a complete game together.”

Payton said he thinks Bell’s development was helped by the competition he had after veteran Kurt Coleman was signed a free agent in 2018. Coleman couldn’t displace Bell last season and was released.

Bell agreed, adding that the presence of another veteran, Roman Harper in his rookie season of 2016, also helped.

“Those guys made a real impact in my life,” Bell said. “They were like father figures, (older) brother figures. They (showed me the ins and outs) of the game. The game slowed down for me and just made me get to another part of the game where I am right now, keep on churning up and lead these guys on the back end. I appreciate them for really just sitting me down and teaching me the game.”

“(I’m at a place where) I’ve never been before. The game just comes to me, it slows down. I’m really out there just playing football and just reacting. You just see the plays and the formations, you know what’s coming and you’re just reacting to what they do and just playing fast and anticipating plays that are happening.”

Bell’s play has caught the eye of Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians, whose 2-2 team visits the 3-1 Saints on Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

“He’s the same thing he’s always been,” Arians said. “He’s always been a ballhawk, even in college. The guy was always around the ball and making plays.”