The Le'Veon Bell situation in Pittsburgh took a twist on Monday when the Steelersrunning back didn't show up for practice.
Although the team expected Bell to skip training camp after he didn't get the long-term contract he wanted in July, the Steelers were blindsided when Bell decided to skip the team's first practice of Week 1 on Monday. For most of the summer, Bell had given every indication that he was going to show up on Labor Day, just like he did last year.
With just five days to go until the Steelers kick off their regular season in Cleveland, Bell is running out of time to report if he wants to play in Week 1.
So is Bell going to show up this week or is he going to make some sort of statement by skipping the Steelers first game of the season?
Although no one seems to know the answer to that question, Maurkice Pounceydoes have a theory on how this is all going to play out.
"He'll be here Wednesday," Pouncey said Monday, via NFL Network. "Count on it,"
Despite what Pouncey said, you might not want to completely "count" on that information and that's because he admitted that he was totally guessing on the date and that he hasn't actually talked to Bell about it.
"No, but if I know Le'Veon, he'll be here then," Pouncey said.
No matter when Bell shows up, there's not going to be any ill-will toward from anyone on the roster, according to Pouncey.
"Whenever he comes, we'll welcome him with open arms," Pouncey said, via ESPN.com. "He's a great player and a great teammate. We know the business side of it. You see Khalil Mack? You ever think the Raiders would let him go?"
Comparing Bell to a star player from another team who got traded for holding out probably isn't the best comparison unless you're trying to send Steelers fans and fantasy owners into a panic. Anyway, although the team said it was disappointed that Bell didn't report on Monday, no one on the roster seems to be too concerned.
"Last year [Bell] didn't need any [practices] and was best in the league," Pouncey said. "It's fine. He showed up last year at the same time. Totally fine, trust me."
Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward insisted that the Bell situation won't be a distraction to the team, no matter how it plays out.
"My focus is on this team and who is here," Heyward said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "When Le'Veon gets here, he gets here. But until then, let's ride. It won't be a distraction. We're seasoned for that, I think. I just think where we want to get to, the goals we have in mind, that stuff will be under the rug. If he comes on this journey, he comes on this journey. We put him in the backseat, strap him in and be ready to go."
One person who's definitely planning for Bell to play in Week 1 is Browns' coach Hue Jackson. The Browns opened against the Steelers in 2017, so Jackson watched this whole thing play out last year.
"I plan on him being there," Jackson said. "We are playing a really good Steelers offense, a really good Steelers team. He is one of those 'B brothers [With Antonio Brown].' At the end of the day, I anticipate him being there."
Despite Jackson's optimism, there's no guarantee that Bell is going to show up this week. The running back has already threatened once to sit out several games and ESPN.com reported in July that he might be willing to sit out half the season to prove a point.
Under NFL rules, Bell has until Nov. 13 to sign his franchise deal, which means he could legally sit out for 10 weeks and there's nothing the Steelers could do about it. Of course, if Bell goes that route, it will cost him some serious money. The Steelers running back would lose out on roughly $853,000 per week for any week he sits out, which means he'd have to be willing to lose roughly $8.53 million in salary if he's going to sit out the full 10 weeks.
Le'Veon Bell was not at practice on Monday as the Steelers began preparations for Sunday's season opener in Cleveland against the Browns. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert issued a release expressing the team's disappointment in Bell, who has yet to sign his franchise tag after holding out this summer for the second consecutive year.
"We are disappointed Le’Veon Bell has not signed his franchise tender and rejoined his teammates," Colbert said. "Coach [Mike] Tomlin and the coaching staff will continue to focus on preparing the players on our roster for our regular season opener on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns."
When asked about Bell on Monday, Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey offered his thoughts on when he expects Bell to be back at the Steelers' facility.
"He'll be here Wednesday," Pouncey said, via NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala. "Count on it."
Has Bell told Pouncey that he will be rejoining his teammates on Wednesday?
“No," Pouncey said, "but if I know Le’Veon, he’ll be here then.”
Pouncey was also asked whether or not Bell's absence has created a distraction for himself and his teammates.
"It doesn’t at all," he said. "I promise you it doesn’t. The team is so locked in on what we have on hand this weekend. Whenever he comes, we’ll welcome him with open arms. Hopefully, he’s in shape and is ready to run the football."
With Bell's status for Sunday currently up in the air, the Steelers -- to a man -- are confident that James Conner will be ready if called up to make his first career NFL start. Pittsburgh's third round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Conner, the ACC's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns, paced the Steelers with 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries during the preseason. His best preseason game took place against the Packers, when Conner rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Conner also caught seven passes for 61 yards during the exhibition season.
"Conner has busted his a--," offensive lineman Ramon Foster said of Conner, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "When you're ready, you're ready. He's ready."
While he earned his second carer All-Pro selection in 2017, Bell saw his numbers decline last season after a slow start. After skipping the team's training camp/preseason, Bell managed just 32 yards on 10 carries in the team's season opening win in Cleveland. He averaged just 3.2 yards per cary for a second consecutive week during Pittsburgh's Week 2 victory over the Vikings before rushing for 61 yards on 15 carries in Pittsburgh's Week 3 loss at Chicago. Bell finally broke out in Week 4, rushing for 144 yards and two scores while amassing 186 all-purpose yards in the Steelers' victory over the Ravens in Baltimore.
Expect Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin to address Bell and his possibly status for Sunday's game during his Tuesday afternoon press conference.
Steelers GM releases statement on Le'Veon Bell's absence
Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert does not sound optimistic about running back Le'Veon Bell's availability in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns.
The executive released a statement early Monday.
"We are disappointed Le’Veon Bell has not signed his franchise tender and rejoined his teammates. Coach [Mike] Tomlin and the coaching staff will continue to focus on preparing the players on our roster for our regular season opener on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns," Colbert said.
Bell was offered a franchise tag for the second consecutive year earlier this off-season. In May, he was offered a one-year, $14.544 million deal to play this season. The Michigan State product returned just in time for the start of the regular season a year ago. This season's debut sounds in jeopardy. The running back has been seeking a long-term deal at an annual rate that is unheard of for the running back position. His case was aided by Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley, who signed a four year contract extension worth $60 million, including $45 million guaranteed.
The Chicago Bears and Rams have also agreed to lucrative deals with defensive end Khalil Mack and defensive tackle Aaron Donald worth north of $20 million annually.
In one game against the Browns last season, Bell registered ten carries for 32 yards. He also had three receptions for 15 yards. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated 5,336 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns in addition to 312 receptions for 2,660 yards and seven touchdowns. Bell, a native of Ohio, has been selected to the Pro Bowl for his efforts in three seasons.
Bell was labeled the No. 1 running back and No. 5 player overall in the NFL by NFL.com. Pittsburgh will have to rely on their other offensive weapons including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and wide receiver Antonio Brown. The team drafted wide receiver James Washington this year as well.
The 26 year old was a second round choice, No. 48 overall, in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh is currently carrying Jaylen Samuels, Steven Ridley and James Conner as the other running backs on their roster.
Nat Berhe announces he has re-signed with Pittsburgh Steelers
Nat Berhe was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, but we knew right away that the decision would be short-lived. He immediately tweeted "Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." This led to an assumption that the Steelers would bring Berhe back soon, as that appears to be the case. On Sunday, Berhe again tweeted, this time saying "C’mon guys, you thought I was gone? Signed." Berhe was a free agent for around a day before ultimately returning to the Steelers.
So why was he released in the first place? Because Berhe is a vested veteran, meaning he has more than four years of accrued NFL service time. That means that when he is released, he is not subject to waivers like younger players. He is free to sign with any team that he chooses, but no team can forcibly add him to their roster. Multiple reports have indicated that the Steelers plan to place a veteran on injured reserve, but with the designation to return, meaning that they had to make the initial 53-man roster. So rather than release a player that they could have lost in the process, the Steelers likely approached Berhe, explained the plan, and got him to agree to spend one day as a free agent.
Berhe is a backup safety, having played only 40 defensive snaps in 2017. But he does offer value in another key area: special teams. He played 267 snaps in that unit, second most on the Giants, and the Steelers have tried very hard to improve in that area this offseason. They tried to sign away special teams legend Matthew Slater, a perennial Pro Bowler for the New England Patriots, but were rebuffed as Slater returned to New England. While that move may have just been a ploy to drive Slater's value up so the Patriots would have to overpay to keep him, signing Berhe at all proved how badly the Steelers wanted to improve in that area. In some sense, it is a market inefficiency. Special teams yardage is just as valuable as yardage gained on offense and defense, but teams man that unit with rookies and street free agents. If an advantage can be found there, it can be a very significant one.
But with Berhe on board, the Steelers now have six nominal safeties on their 53-man roster. Berhe is joined by Morgan Burnett, Terrell Edmunds, Marcus Allen, Sean Davis and Jordan Dangerfield. That seems to indicate that Pittsburgh's next move would be to move one of those safeties to injured reserve. Burnett has struggled with health issues all throughout training camp and the preseason. He would appear to be the likeliest candidate. But the Steelers could choose a player at another position, and there are several with some malady or another, to bench for the beginning of the season.
Josh Dobbs elevated to No. 2 QB on Steelers Week 1 depth chart
Josh Dobbs went from possibly not making Pittsburgh's 53-man roster to the team's No. 2 quarterback on the Steelers' first depth chart of the 2018 regular season. Dobbs made the roster instead of veteran Landry Jones, who was released by the team on Saturday as the Steelers trimmed their roster from 90 to 53 players.
Along with the quarterback changes, there several changes to Pittsburgh's most recent depth chart. Below is the team's entire updated depth chart, as the Steelers look to beat the Browns on opening day for the second time in as many seasons.
Ben Roethlisberger is the No.1 quarterback, followed by Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph. Dobbs completed 67.4% of his passes this preseason to go with four touchdown passes against two interceptions. He also rushed for a score during Pittsburgh's preseason finale vs. the Panthers. Rudolph, one of the team's two third round picks, complete
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