The Pittsburgh Steelers have experienced tremendous success over the years, but during the Ben Roethlisberger era, not much matches the last four. The Steelers have made the playoffs each season, which is an accomplishment the franchise hadn’t achieved in more than two decades.
During that time frame, the Steelers have averaged more than 11 wins per season and advanced to the AFC Championship Game in 2016. All that’s left to do is get back to the Super Bowl and win a third championship with “Big Ben.”
Unfortunately, time is running out on the Hall of Fame quarterback. With Roethlisberger celebrating his 36th birthday in March and the pending departure of running back Le’Veon Bell, it would be very easy to argue the 2018 season is a championship or bust year for the Steelers.
But failing to sign Bell to a deal isn’t all that shocking and as the team looks towards the future, it isn’t a major loss.
Bonus Money in Le’Veon Bell Contract Offer
On the surface, Bell reportedly turned down a five-year, $70 million deal on July 16. With that in mind, the running back comes across to the public as extremely greedy, but a deeper dive into the offer reveals he was probably smart to turn down the deal.
In the NFL, it’s silly to just look at the entire contract because the player is only guaranteed the signing bonus, and according to Ian Rapoport, the Steelers’ offer to Bell only included a little more than $10 million guaranteed.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1019324630425915394
Considering he has $14.5 million on the table for 2018 due to the franchise tag, it’s not a surprise Bell elected to decline the deal, take the bigger sum of guaranteed money and then test free agency.
This probably isn’t news to the Steelers either. Actually, the team’s decision to low-ball Bell makes a lot of sense.
Pittsburgh Steelers Future Without Le’Veon Bell
With that low of a signing bonus in the contract offer to Bell, it doesn’t appear the Steelers really wanted to extend the All-Pro running back that badly. With an aging quarterback that is close to winning a third title, that’s a strange strategy, but that’s only if one is looking at the next two or three years as the Steelers’ championship window.
With the way the off-season has gone in Pittsburgh, it doesn’t appear general manager Kevin Colbert believes that to be the case.
In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Steelers didn’t address their biggest need — an inside linebacker to replace Ryan Shazier — and instead drafted safety Terrell Edmunds. The team views him as a hybrid defender that could perhaps play the role of Shazier a few years down the road, but he’s a bit of a project and isn’t expected to contribute immediately.
The same can mostly be said for the Steelers next three selections too: wide receiver James Washington, quarterback Mason Rudolph, and offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor.
Washington is the only one of those three who may contribute on a consistent basis in 2018. Okorafor is another project, and Rudolph, who received a first-round grade from Pro Football Focus prior to the draft, isn’t going to sniff the starting lineup unless Roethlisberger gets hurt or retires.
Whether or not the Steelers selected the right men to replace Shazier and Roethlisberger can be debated, but it’s clear with these draft decisions, along with the one to somewhat low-ball Bell (via his signing bonus), the Steelers don’t see 2018 as championship or bust. They believe that behind a young defense and these new pieces, particularly with Edmunds and Rudolph, the championship window is going to stay open into the next decade.
Therefore, there was no need to mortgage the future and sign a 26-year-old running back to a record-setting deal. Instead, the Steelers offered him a relatively risk-free contract in the hopes that he would cave under media pressure.
Le’Veon Bell Leaving Pittsburgh Steelers
Even if that was the plan from the beginning, the Steelers will still be missing a major part of their offense in 2019 if Bell departs.
https://twitter.com/PFF_Fantasy/status/880153539305230336
Bell’s first four seasons in the NFL were record-breaking in terms of yards from scrimmage, and he made his second All-Pro team in 2017. During the Steelers’ four-year playoff streak, Bell has averaged 137.5 yards per scrimmage per game, and last season, only Todd Gurley averaged more yards from scrimmage per game than Bell.
And the running game is not even half of what he provides the Steelers. Over the last four years, Bell has averaged about 87 catches per 16 games. In 2017, he was second on the team only to Antonio Brown with 85 receptions.
In addition to what he does as a running back and receiver, Bell is one of the best blocking backs in the league. His blocking ability is a big reason why he never has to leave the field and enables him to make key catches on third down. At other times, it also gives Roethlisberger additional time to make big plays down the field.
Without Bell, the Steelers will have to replace more than 30 percent of their offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers Replacing Le’Veon Bell
There’s no denying Bell is a once-in-a-generation back, yet he’s also not irreplaceable because of the position he plays.
If he does indeed leave after the 2018 season, and Bell’s replacement isn’t on the roster already, the Steelers’ best bet is to draft a running back next year. That will likely take time and they might not find another great back until Roethlisberger’s career ends.
But again, the team’s 2018 off-season indicates they expect to remain competitive after Roethlisberger retires.
The Steelers could also elect to follow a more modern NFL offensive strategy and use two or three backs to replace Bell. The fact he can do so many things makes him special, but offenses don’t need traditional workhorse backs to be successful.
https://twitter.com/Marcus_Mosher/status/1018974499629424640
In 2015, DeAngelo Williams averaged 112.1 yards from scrimmage per game in 10 starts while Bell was either suspended or injured. The Steelers posted a 7-3 record in those games. It’s very possible they could find a short-term solution in free agency again.
The departure of Bell could mark the end of an era. If he does leave, the 2018 season could be Roethlisberger’s last really good chance to win a third championship.
But the Steelers are looking towards the future and giving more than $10 million guaranteed to a 26-year-old back who has been suspended twice and injured regularly wasn’t in the plans.
