Will Le’Veon Bell miss the Steelers vs. Chiefs game in Week 2?

Le’Veon Bell still hasn’t reported to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it’s time to start asking how much time he might be willing to miss.

Money talks. In the NFL, so does a player’s absence. Le’Veon Bell is letting the latter do the talking for him about the former.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have now completed training camp and the entirety of the preseason and they’re still missing their most dangerous offensive weapon—or at least one of the three pieces that make up the Killer B’s of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Bell. Bell has yet to report to training camp or any Steelers activities thus far, and there are mixed predictions about when or if Bell will show up.

If you’ve been missing the headlines, Bell is upset because the Steelers want to renew their commitment for another year rather than giving him a bit more security with a major extension. It might sound a bit ridiculous given that Bell has $14.5 million waiting for him for the 16 games of the regular season, but Bell is looking for a lot more money over a few more years. And those numbers, clearly, make the Steelers a bit hesitant.

Bell might say he’s not being appreciated by the franchise he’s helped so much over his first five years in the league, but the Steelers have made it known they do want him back. The team released a statement, via general manager Kevin Colbert, expressing their disappointment in his absence so far on Monday.

"We are disappointed Le’Veon Bell has not signed his franchise tender and rejoined his teammates. Coach 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."

Bell could be an unrestricted free agent after this season, just as long as he puts in the requisite amount of games in order to earn another accrued season of NFL service or playing time. That’s the guess from Adam Schefter, ESPN’s NFL analyst:

However it’s also important to remember that Bell did this just last season and ended up reporting on Labor Day, practicing for half of a week and rushing for 1,291 yards on the year. It’s possible that even by the time I’m finished with this paragraph, Bell could pull up in Pittsburgh ready to sign and report. However, free agency wasn’t a possibility for Bell a year ago, at least not realistically.

Let’s project a bit for the Steelers, because here’s where it becomes relevant for the Chiefs. This year, the Chiefs play Pittsburgh in Week 2, on Sunday, September 16, in an early afternoon showdown. The Steelers have won 3 straight against the Chiefs and Bell has figured prominently in every single one of those wins:

1. In Week 4 of the 2016 season, Bell rushed 18 times for an incredible 144 yards and caught another 5 passes for 34 yards. The Steelers absolutely decimated the Chiefs at home in a 43-14 win. (This one was miserable from the beginning as the Steelers were up 22-0 after the first quarter.)
2. In the playoffs that same season, the Chiefs get a shot at revenge at Arrowhead and the game is very, very close. Unfortunately Bell is the difference in this game as the miserable Chiefs defense cannot stop Bell no matter what they do. Bell rushed 30 times for 170 yards in a game that as aggravating as any because everyone knew Bell would get the ball and the Chiefs still could not stop it.
3. Last year, the Steelers stopped the Chiefs five-game winning streak to open the season with another win at Arrowhead. Bell did his part, of course, with an incredible 191 yards from scrimmage including 179 of them on the ground.

Overall, Bell has averaged 135 rushing yards in his career against the Chiefs and his ability to move the chains has made it very difficult for the Chiefs to overcome the Steelers.

But let’s project a bit. If Bell decides to focus on the bigger picture, at least personally, and aim for a major contract in free agency, it is altogether possible that he might not even be available for the Steelers against the Chiefs in Week 2. James Conner might be a nice physical running back, but handling him will be quite a different than handling Bell’s incredible vision and burst. Jaylen Samuels might grow into the same sort of versatile offensive dynamo in the NFL as he was at N.C. State, but he’ll also be a rookie in Week 2 of his career. Again, it’s just not nearly the same threat.

Or at least, those are the things that Chiefs Kingdom tells themselves whenever they face a team like the Steelers. If Patrick Mahomes is going to be the franchise’s great hope, he’s going to have to be the one to break through against the likes of the Pittsburgh Steelers when it counts. This year, he might have a little bit of help with the absence of Le’Veon Bell.