NFL Notes: Le’Veon Bell, Browns, Jets

Le’Veon Bell

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com spoke with three current or former NFL executives about whether they would be willing to sign RB Le’Veon Bell to a long-term extension if they were the Steelers. All three of the executives said they could bring themselves to hand out big money to Bell for a few years.

“I can’t give him the money,” said a former vice president of player personnel. “He has character concerns and an injury history that would prevent me from making a long-term commitment. I would make him play on the tag and hope that we get to the Super Bowl, then reassess the situation at the end of the year. … I think that he’s playing on borrowed time and I just couldn’t do it (sign him to a long-term deal).”

“I love his game, but I couldn’t put a lot of money into that position,” an AFC personnel executive said. “I’ve seen too many running backs fall off the cliff after they get their big payday. I would let him play on the tag this year and find a younger, cheaper option next year.”

“No one in their right mind is trying to pay a veteran runner a lot of money to be a feature back,” AFC pro director. “Bell is a really good player, but too many teams have found effective runners at cheaper rates to invest big money in that position.”

Browns

• Browns first-round DE Myles Garrett has been sporting a walking boot on his injured left foot. The severity of Garrett’s foot injury is still unknown at this time. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Jets

• According to Rich Cimini, the gap between presumed starter Josh McCown and Christian Hackenberg isn’t as wide as it appeared, given that Hackenberg actually performed a little better than McCown during minicamp.
• While Cimini still believes McCown is the favorite to start for the Jets, he doesn’t believe there’s an insurmountable lead for Hackenberg to overcome.
• Cimini mentions that DL Muhammad Wilkerson is going to need to play up to expectations next year if he plans on seeing his $16.75 million salary for the 2018 season.