So it continues. The 2018 season kicks off with a full slate of Sunday games in just a mere few days, and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell still hasn’t reported to the practice facility.
With his absence on Wednesday, the team must plan to play without him in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. And the Steelers should prepare for a lot longer absence than that.
Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, suggested Wednesday that Bell might be willing to continue his holdout well into the season. At the very least, Bakari made it clear that their goal is to “preserve the long-term health” of Bell. That could mean missing half the season.
After failing to come to terms on a contract extension, the Steelers were rightfully patient through the initial weeks of Le’Veon Bell’s holdout. But with this week’s developments, it’s now time to explore more drastic measures.
Le’Veon Bell’s Fractured Relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Not only has the Steelers front office been patient, but so have the players. There’s an unwritten code among NFL players that you avoid discussing paychecks as much as possible. They must understand that things are rarely personal; the game is unfortunately also a business.
But the Steelers offensive line was so livid about Le’Veon Bell failing to show on Wednesday, they broke that written code. Center Maurkice Pouncey, left guard David DeCastro, and right guard Ramon Foster all spoke very candidly to the media, not holding back any of their feelings toward Bell.
Steelers teammates not happy with Le’Veon Bell no show, led by vet G Ramon Foster, their player rep:
“What do you do? here’s a guy who doesn’t give a damn, I guess so we’ll treatit as such. I just hate it came to this. “— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) September 5, 2018
Ramon Foster on Le'Veon Bell: "Nobody is taking this well at all. That guy comes in half the season and he still will make more than me so f*** it, right?" @TheAthleticPGH
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) September 5, 2018
Maurkice Pouncey is clearly DONE w/ Le’Veon Bell’s absence. Says he’d much prefer Bell just say when he’s going to show up, even if it’s Week 10: “Why play hide and seek? Why let your agent say this? Just man up and tell us what you’re going to do.”
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) September 5, 2018
#Steelers G Ramon Foster on Le’Veon Bell: “He’s making 7 times what I make and twice as much as Al Villanueva is making and we’re the guys who do it for him.”
Shots fired.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 5, 2018
More #Steelers players are coming after Le'Veon Bell:
Pro Bowl G David DeCastro: "We all thought he'd be here today. He makes us all kind of look stupid…. Just sit out the whole year then."
Oof.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 5, 2018
If those aren’t bad enough, here’s the best one, followed by a hilarious tweet from Foster’s own account.
Ramon Foster on Bell’s continued absence
“You sacrifice so much in this damn sport. My mom died. I went to her funeral and came to camp the next day. For someone not to be fully in—one of your teammates—that’s where it gets you. I’m tired of the antics.”— Eric Hagman (@esh714) September 5, 2018
— Ramon Foster (@RamonFoster) September 5, 2018
The first reaction most will have to this is, “Who is in the right? Who’s in the wrong?” It’s human nature to take a side.
I discussed that at length last month. If that’s an important topic for any readers, please check that out because honestly, not much has changed on that front.
The biggest takeaway point from the barrage of Bell hate from the offensive line is the shattered relationship he has with the team.
NFL players on championship caliber teams have a tendency to put personal matters aside in the hopes of winning the Super Bowl. But some of these comments were extremely harsh. Fair, yes, but also harsh.
There may be no going back on them. The cat is out of the bag.
If Bell wants to be a free agent next winter, which he most certainly does, he must accrue a season of service in 2018. That means signing his tender and reporting to the team by November.
Whether he waits that long or returns tomorrow, at some point, Bell will be back, and what happens in the locker room is anyone’s best guess. Some players may put hard feelings aside in the hopes of winning the Super Bowl. Others, such as the offensive linemen who spoke Wednesday, probably won’t be so cordial.
And at that point, the Steelers will have a divided locker room. Teams can win a Super Bowl without a bell-cow runner; they can’t capture a title with a fractured team.
Pittsburgh Steelers Seeking Le’Veon Bell Trade?
Dealing an All-Pro running back sounds easy. Who wouldn’t want the best all-around back in football?
Well, it’s much easier said than done, mostly because the Steelers will have no leverage at the negotiating table. Teams around the league obviously know Bell may be planning to play only half a season in Pittsburgh. So if general manager Kevin Colbert seeks a trade now, teams will likely send in low-ball offers.
The Steelers would also be giving Bell exactly what he wants if they trade him. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, the Steelers and Bell can no longer negotiate a long-term deal.
That means Bell isn’t holding out for a sweeter deal; it’s play on the tender or don’t play at all in 2018.
Bell’s only other option is to make life so miserable on the Steelers that the team deals him for whatever they can get. This strategy essentially worked for linebacker Khalil Mack, who did get traded and received a historic deal from the Chicago Bears. That could only entice Bell to double down and remain out until the Steelers trade him.
Options for Trading Le’Veon Bell
This leaves the Steelers between a rock and a hard place. Le’Veon Bell may never be welcomed back into the team locker room, but if the team trades him now, they might only receive pennies on the dollar.
So the best plan of attack for the Steelers would be to continue doing exactly what they have been – waiting.
Teams may not have roster or cap space for Bell or the desire to acquire the All-Pro runner right now, but in a few weeks, that could change.
All it may take is an injury to Dalvin Cook or Todd Gurley to bring the Minnesota Vikings or Los Angeles Rams, two teams that are very much “going for it” in 2018, to the negotiating table.
Maybe a team such as the Detroit Lions starts the year 5-1. Crazier things have happened. The Lions begin the season with the Jets, 49ers, Patriots, Cowboys, Packers, and Dolphins. If they can steal one against the Patriots or Packers, five wins by late October is possible.
At that point, perhaps they view the running back position, which has been their bugaboo for years, as their missing Super Bowl piece.
A veteran team, such as the Seattle Seahawks, seeing 2018 as one of their last chances to win, or a young squad “ahead of schedule,” such as the San Francisco 49ers, having interest in acquiring Bell by Halloween is possible too.
And the Oakland Raiders receiving multiple first-round picks in a trade for Mack – despite the fact he no longer wanted to play in Oakland – should give Steelers fans some confidence the team can finagle a way to receive value back in a deal involving Bell. It will be harder because Bell is a running back, but in the right situation, it could work in the Steelers favor.
At the very least, the Steelers must explore the option of trading their star running back to another team. Waiting on the right deal is essential, but at the latest, his time in Pittsburgh expires at the end of this season.
If the Steelers determine Bell hurts more than he helps in 2018, his time in Pittsburgh is already finished.
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