Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has now finished serving his two-game suspension and he figures to be added back to the active roster in the next 48 hours.
The Steelers currently have a roster exemption for Bell and that will expire at 4 pm ET on Wednesday. By then, the team will need to release or waive a player to make room for him on their 53 man unit.
“It’s amazing,” said Bell on Monday during his talk with the media. “I’m glad it’s over and I can just focus on getting back on the field with my teammates.”
It’s unknown which player will be cut to make room for Bell, but the list of candidates figures to very short. Obvious possibly choices include defensive end Caushaud Lyons and fullback Roosevelt Nix in addition to second-year running back Dri Archer, the team’s third-round draft pick last year.
Lyons, who the Steelers claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the final round of cuts, hasn’t dressed in either of the team’s first two games. Nix, on the other hand, has dressed for both games and appears to be earning his keep on special teams while also playing a very limited amount snaps on offense.
As for Archer, he also has dressed for the Steelers first two games as the team’s kick returner. He’s returned one kickoff so far for 22 yards and played another four snaps on offense during the final offensive drive of the Steelers Week 1 loss to the New England Patriots.
While very unlikely, wide receiver Tyler Murphy and defensive end L.T. Walton might also be considered candidates to be waived to make room for Bell. Murphy, however, is currently dressing as the team’s fourth wide receiver over rookie third-round draft pick Sammie Coates while Walton, who was drafted this year in the sixth-round, has spent the first two games on the team’s inactive list.
