Getty Is Le'Veon Bell rejoining the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Le’Veon Bell posted a cryptic tweet on Monday indicating a departure from Miami, prompting many to wonder if it means he’s rejoining the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fairwell Miami 👋🏾
The star running back played under a franchise tag in 2017, leading the NFL in carries despite sitting out the final game of the regular season.
He got slapped with the tag again ahead of the 2018 season, and failed to report to training camp for the second year in a row. Unlike in 2017, however, he didn’t return to the team by Week 1 in 2018, and hasn’t played all season in hopes of landing a long-term deal.
Steelers Moving Past Bell Holdout
James Conner has filled in admirably for Bell. The second-year back is second in the NFL in rushing yards (706) and rushing touchdowns (nine).
Some in the team’s locker room have given up on worrying about when the three-time All-Pro will return.
“Taking nothing against James, the running of the football is an 11-man job,” head coach Mike Tomlin told ESPN’s Dianna Russini ahead of the Steelers’ Week 9 tilt with the Baltimore Ravens. “We’ve got a great belief in our offensive line. They’re doing a great job opening holes for him. But to James’ credit, he’s running, catching, blocking, doing all the things we ask our future runner to do. … We haven’t spent a lot of time focused on [Bell’s holdout] because it’s not within our control. Those decisions are Le’Veon’s. We need volunteers, not hostages.”
After the game, a 23-16 victory to improve to 5-2-1, guard David DeCastro told Sports Illustrated: “At this point, it’s kind of just like, ‘what’s the point?’ Why waste more energy on it? The first week, we were shocked by [the Bell holdout]. At this point, what are you gonna do? Sit here and drive at it and beg him to come back? Obviously that’s not how it works. So we just put our best foot forward and try to do the best for this team. … It just doesn’t matter. If he shows up, you’re blocking your guy the same as you would for Conner. It’s not like it’s going to be an issue. As much drama as there was with that, it’s not going to affect how we play football.”