Today was the Pittsburgh Steelers first practice for the regular season. And Le’Veon Bell wasn’t part of that group. Bell is still a no-show in the Steel City as we’re less than a week out from the regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
General manager Kevin Colbert released a statement a short time ago, expressing disappointment in Bell’s decision.
“We are disappointed Le’Veon Bell has not signed his franchise tender and rejoined his teammates. Coach Tomlin and the coaching staff will continue to focus on preparing the players on our roster for our regular season opener on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.”
It’s unclear when Bell will show up. Yesterday, he posted on Snapchat that he was still in Florida.
For now, as Colbert’s statement indicates, the team will turn to the trio of James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, and Stevan Ridley out of the backfield. Conner, for now, is the team’s starter.
Bell didn’t take this long in 2017 to report and it’s unclear what his plan is moving forward. If he doesn’t show up by tomorrow, there may be a real chance he doesn’t show up before the regular season opener. Mike Tomlin will certainly be asked about the situation at his Tuesday press conference.
