Getty Images James Conner has a monster game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Could the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell saga come to an end soon? As NFL’s week eight wraps up, the Steelers still have yet to reunite with their superstar running back, Le’Veon Bell. Although Bell told the media that he would return a couple of weeks ago, the running back still hasn’t stepped foot in the Steelers facility to practice.
With the trade deadline approaching on Tuesday, will the Steelers finally get rid of Bell? It’s clear that their price might’ve been too high for trade partners who are interested, but now they are at the point where any return could be of substantial value. We are officially halfway through the NFL season, and Bell has contributed nothing to Pittsburgh’s offense. Meanwhile, they have a legitimate replacement in second-year running back, James Conner.
Conner was expected to serve the Steelers well in Bell’s absence, but nobody expected it to go this well. For the third straight week, Conner has surpassed 100 yards on the ground, along with multiple touchdowns. His week eight performance against the Browns assured the Steelers that he is the future of the backfield as he took on 24 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Will a Trade Happen before the Deadline?
According to CBS Sports, as of Sunday, the Steelers are still willing to trade Bell for the right price. And after Conner’s big day against the Cleveland Browns, it could only mean that they are more than willing to deal price before the deadline on Tuesday.
The original asking price for Bell was ‘a second-rounder, and potentially a good player’ but seeing as though Bell becomes a free agent at the end of the year, it would be tough for any team to actually pay that price. In fact, a second-rounder alone has turned a lot of teams away from a potential deal with the Steelers. We’ll see if the Steelers lower the price but it’s doubtful.
ESPN’s NFL Insider, Adam Schefter stated on NFL Live on Monday that Bell will not get traded. As confident as he sounded, we all know that nothing is final until that deadline passes at 4 pm on Tuesday. If the Steelers get offered a price that is too good to pass up, there’s no reason to believe that they will hold on to Bell while Conner is playing as well as he is.