According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, there’s a lot of buzz going around at the Combine in Indianapolis that the Ravens have become of the favorites to sign free agent RB Le’Veon Bell.
Zrebiec notes that new Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has a strong rapport with Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, and the team is expected to move forward with a resigned offense around QB Lamar Jackson that should feature a strong rushing attack.
On Wednesday, Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Gus Edwards is the team’s No.1 running back, but also added: “We’re going to put some competition in there for him, too, and we’ll see how he responds to it.”
There are some obvious issues with the Ravens making an effort to sign Bell such as their available cap space and roster needs on both sides of the ball. However, Bell is one of the top offensive weapons available in this year’s free agent and could fit with their offensive direction.
Zrebiec admits that Baltimore could consider other running backs such as Tevin Coleman and Mark Ingram or even look to the draft for additional help at the position.
The Steelers announced that they will not tag Bell and allow him to test the open market this offseason.
Bell reportedly turned down a five-year, $70 million offer from the Steelers that included $33 million guaranteed, so he’ll be looking to top those numbers in free agency.
Bell, 26, is a former second-round pick of the Steelers back in 2013. He played out the final year of his four-year, $4,120,600 rookie contract, but Pittsburgh used their franchise tag on him.
Last year, the Steelers decided to franchise Bell for the second straight year, but he elected to hold out the entire 2018 season and set himself up for free agency in 2019.
In 2017, Bell appeared in 15 games for the Steelers and rushed for 1, 291yards on 321 carries (4 YPC) to go along with 85 receptions for 655 yards receiving and 11 total touchdowns. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 9 running back out of 58 qualifying players.
We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2019 NFL Free Agents list.
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