Steelers Don’t Expect To Trade RB Le’Veon Bell

Steelers owner Art Rooney II tells Ian Rapoport that he doesn’t expect to trade RB Le’Veon Bell before the upcoming trade deadline.

“I expect him to be a member of the team going forward,” Rooney said. “That’s my expectation.”

Rooney added that Bell’s absence has helped them evaluate James Conner and ultimately determine that they have another pretty good running back.

“We’ve learned that James is a darn good football player,” Rooney said. “Happy to have him.”

Bell is expected to report to the Steelers next week and end his holdout.

Bell has still yet to sign his franchise tender while his holdout has extended into the regular season, but that shouldn’t be much of an issue once he’s returned to the team.

For what it’s worth, Bell previously told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that he believes Jets, 49ers, Colts, Browns and Eagles would be among teams interested in him as a free agent next year.

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 that included a $1,376,800 signing bonus and was in position to be one of the best players in the free agent market when he was franchised.

The Steelers used the franchise tag on Bell again this offseason, which means he stands to make $14.5 million fully guaranteed for the 2018 season before testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent next year.

In 2017, Bell has 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 25 – 2019 NFL Free Agents list.