Le’Veon Bell no longer has to worry about the Pittsburgh Steelers trading him, as the deadline came and went on Tuesday without the star running back being moved. That does not, however, mean he is ready to return to work.
Bell has until the Tuesday following Week 10 to sign his franchise tender in order to avoid having his contract toll. He still was not with the Steelers as of Wednesday morning, which means he will almost certain sit out through this weekend’s game against the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
As the #Steelers get ready to begin meetings for another Wednesday of a work week, RB Le’Veon Bell is not present. He wasn’t going to show up before the trade deadline, ensuring he’d remain on the team… but he didn’t show up after, either. Still James Conner’s show.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 31, 2018
If Bell’s goal with holding out is to avoid injury risk ahead of free agency, it makes sense that he would stay away as long as possible. He would have only reported prior to the trade deadline if he wanted to help facilitate a trade. With that no longer a possibility, Bell will likely sit out through Week 10.
Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had a hilarious plan for getting Bell to rejoin his teammates sooner, but that didn’t pan out. Fans in Pittsburgh are almost certainly going to have to wait until Week 11 to see Bell back on the field.
