Chiefs vs. Steelers: Le’Veon Bell remains absent from Pittsburgh on Wednesday
By Matt Conner
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still without their star running back as they approach Week 2 and there’s no word if or when Le’Veon Bell will finally report.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still dealing with the ongoing holdout and absence of All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell as the team prepares for their Week 2 match-up against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bell has been holding out from the team in search of a new long-term extension as opposed to the one-year franchise tag he’s been offered in each of the past two offseasons. While the franchise tag rewards a player like Bell handsomely in that year, Bell is hoping that his own performance speaks for itself as he searches for rare job security for a running back in the NFL.
Bell threatened to sit out last year, but he decided to report to the team in time for Labor Day to practice a couple times and play in Week 1. However this year he’s at least made good enough on his threat to turn down a single game check for $800K as he sat Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers ended up tying the Browns in an odd Week 1 performance.
In his career, Bell has been instrumental in the Steelers’ success against the Chiefs over the last few seasons as the team has won three straight contests against the Chiefs. In his career, Bell has averaged over 135 rushing yards/game against the Chiefs. The Steelers were able to put up considerable rushing yards against the Browns in Week 1 as James Conner had a breakout performance in Bell’s absence with 31 carries for 135 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. He added another 55 yards through the air to reach 192 yards from scrimmage on the day.
Conner will heavily counted on once again to round out the offense if Bell is unable to go against the Chiefs. The team are scheduled to kick off the game at 12:00 p.m. C.T. on Sunday at Pittsburgh.