And then there was only one. The “Killer B’s”, consisting of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’veon Bell, had their eyes set on bringing Lombardi trophies back to The Steel City. Well, Roethlisberger is still the guy under center for the Steelers. Brown is now a member of the Oakland Raiders, after being dealt for a third and fifth round pick. Bell, a free agent, is all but out of Pittsburgh after sitting out all of the 2018 season.
One could argue the All-Pro running back not playing a single snap in 2018 is a big reason the Steelers did not win the the AFC North, and missed out on the playoffs.
The Steelers and Bell were unable to come to terms on a new contract for the three time Pro Bowl RB, leaving Bell to take it upon himself to put his health and future first.
Bell, 27, is arguably the biggest free agent this off-season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Not only that, is there a better running back than Bell in the NFL? Surely, Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Ellliott and Saquon Barkley all have quality cases to be number one, but Bell may have the best case.
With returning to Pittsburgh pretty much entirely out of the picture, where will Le’Veon call home in 2019?
Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis has a number of things going in the right direction. For one, the Colts (10-6) are fresh off a playoff appearance. The team already has a franchise QB in Andrew Luck, a star WR in T.Y Hilton and a solid defense. But, most importantly, the Colts have tons of money to spend, and opening the wallet for a RB, especially for a player like Bell makes too much sense for the team. Marlon Mack held down the RB position for the Colts for the majority of the 2018 season. Mack finished with 1,011 scrimmage yards, and 10 touchdowns, in 12 games. It was a really solid season for Mack, but Bell would be a clear upgrade at the position. A trio of Luck-Bell-Hilton puts the Colts in prime position to battle for AFC South titles, and maybe Super Bowls.
Oakland Raiders
Oakland is in an interesting spot to say the very least. The Raiders had a terrible 2018 season, finishing 4-12. Really, the season seemed over the second the team dealt Khalil Mack to Chicago. Mack, to no surprise, was an absolute stud in the Windy City, recording 12.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. Oakland also traded its number one WR, Amari Cooper, to the Cowboys. Fast forward to the 2019 offseason, the Raiders have four picks in the first two rounds (4, 24, 27, 35), as well as the recent acquisition of Antonio Brown. Derek Carr didn’t have a great 2018 season, but he’s a solid QB and has the potential to be a top seven, or so, QB in the near future. Adding Bell wouldn’t put Oakland all the way over the top, but it would be a huge step in the right direction. Plus, we’ve witnessed what Brown and Bell can do as a 1-2 punch. The bigger story would be on how head coach Jon Gruden, and Carr, would work with the two.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers and Le’Veon Bell. Need I say more? The argument for Tom Brady being the best QB in the NFL is still there, as he is fresh off his sixth Super Bowl, but Aaron Rodgers is a “baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad man”, and number one in many eyes. With Rodgers under center, Green Bay is always a threat. But there is a slight problem, and it’s at the RB position. The Packers don’t really have “that guy” for 20-25 carries a game, nor someone who can take some of the pressure off the shoulders of Rodgers. That’s where Bell comes in. What makes this pairing even more possible is the Packers have a real threat at WR in DaVante Adams. Adams took that next step and is a scoring threat on every play. The WR had 111 catches, 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, which are all career highs. The trio of Luck-Bell-Hilton was mentioned earlier as being dangerous, but Rodgers-Bell-Adams as a trio is a few steps above that.
Detroit Lions
This is the “sleeper team” for Le’Veon Bell. The New York Jets have been linked to the star RB, but we just saw Antonio Brown pretty much avoid being traded to Buffalo, and Brown really didn’t control his own destiny. Bell can sign anywhere he wants, and the Jets, while having the cap room, doesn’t make too much sense from an on-the-field standpoint. So, Bell to Detroit? It’s an outside shot, but the addition of Bell can do a lot for Matthew Stafford and the Lions. No doubt that Stafford is a good QB, but he hasn’t really made noise where it matters: the playoffs. Lions’ fans haven’t seen their team play a playoff game since 2016, and part of that is not surrounding Stafford with enough talent at the WR & RB position. Just like in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers, Bell would take pressure off of Stafford, and would obviously make the offensive much more explosive.
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