Pittsburgh Steelers players may not have wanted Le’Veon Bell back after he held out for the first nine games of the season, but apparently the team’s management and coaching staff were rooting for the star running back’s return.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Pittsburgh’s brass made a “concerted effort” to convince Bell to report before Tuesday’s deadline and sign his franchise tender. While James Conner has thrived as the Steelers’ featured back in Bell’s absence, team officials and coaches reportedly explained to Bell that he would receive plenty of work in the passing game and still contribute in the running game. Steelers players have been openly critical of Bell for what they feel was a selfish decision, but the team was apparently not concerned that the running back’s return would negatively impact team chemistry.
In addition to trying to convince him to rejoin the team, La Canfora notes that the Steelers informed Bell they plan to place the transition tag on him this summer. That could lead to a grievance, as the team believes the amount of the tag should be the same as any other transition tag for a running back since Bell did not play at all in 2018. Bell’s camp believes it should be a 20 percent raise over the $12.2 million salary he earned in 2017.
Pittsburgh is hoping to make a deep playoff run this year, so it makes sense that team officials and coaches wanted a talented player like Bell on the roster. Despite what some of his teammates have said about him, Bell would have given the Steelers incredible depth on offense.
