Le’Veon Bell apparently thinks he is helping himself in the long-term by sacrificing games and paychecks with the Steelers this year. His agent, Adisa Bakari, is presumably on board with this plan and has made comments publicly that indicate as much.
If that’s the case, here is the one thing out of this dilemma that becomes clearer every week: Bell needs a new agent.
Let me rephrase that a little. Bell needs someone to give him better advice. This holdout has been nothing but a bad look for Bell and there is no chance he is helping his quest for a long-term deal.
He gambled on the belief that he wasn’t replaceable, but he didn’t plan on James Conner producing like he has. Conner has made Bell more and more expendable, which isn’t helping Bell’s quest for a big deal in the offseason. Bell could still return and put up huge numbers, but that possibility becomes more remote each week.
Many of Bell’s teammates sound like they would rather stick with Conner as the starting running back.
“James was a bowling ball [against the Bengals], he was all over the place. What a great game,” Ben Roethlisberger said after the Steelers won, 28-21, Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. “But I know it is his last game for us since Le’Veon’s coming back.”
The line drew laughs, but Roethlisberger was being more sarcastic than funny. This isn’t the first time he has sent a message that he is growing increasingly comfortable with Conner, who rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. Last week on his radio show he said Conner should “by no means” have to go on the shelf when Bell comes back.
That’s bad news for Bell; Roethlisberger generally gets what he wants.
Roethlisberger has made it known that he likes Conner’s running style, that he feels like Conner fits in their offense better than Bell, and that Conner adds a physical element to the running game that Bell doesn’t bring.
And now that the Steelers appear to be committed to the running game again after an 11-rush game against Baltimore, Conner could continue to get plenty of opportunities. Against the Bengals, he ran 19 times and averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
Conner has played two excellent games in a row and has shown he can do anything the team asks of him. He has caught passes, blocked well and shown the ability to make big plays in the running game.
He has, in effect, made Bell seem replaceable. That’s not good for a player who is trying to advertise a unique skill set and cash in on a lucrative long-term deal.
Bell has painted himself into a corner, and he may not have a viable way out. If he joins the team now, it could take him three or four weeks to get into shape, and that means he would be splitting time with Conner. And that’s his best-case scenario.
The worst case for him? He is nowhere close to in shape and ends up wasting away on the bench.
Regardless, now it seems like the only way Bell returns as the feature back is if Conner is injured. That doesn’t mean Bell won’t start at some point, but his days of getting nearly every snap are probably over. The offensive linemen, the quarterback and the head coach all like what Conner can do; I would be shocked if he went back to the bench.
Conner will get his share of carries and snaps when Bell comes back, cutting into Bell’s numbers and chances to prove he is capable of being a star elsewhere. Bell might barely be more than a part-time running back this season, and while that will preserve his legs, it will be hard for him and his agent to make the case he should be the highest paid running back in the NFL.
Bell is still an immensely talented player. He is obviously healthy and he will certainly have his share of suitors in the offseason. But he has hurt his market value, not helped it.
To prove his value, he gambled that the Steelers wouldn’t be able to replace his production. He has lost that bet.
Conner has proven that he can replicate most, if not all, of what Bell can do. Conner has also proven Bell’s receiving numbers — a big piece of his claim that his contract should set the market for running backs — are mostly a product of the Steelers’ offense.
Bell will still get paid, but he will be lucky to get a deal as good as the one the Steelers offered. He has gotten bad advice from the start — and it is going to cost him millions.
Paul Zeise: pzeise@post-gazette.com or on Twitter @PaulZeise.
First Published: October 15, 2018, 8:20 p.m.
