Victor Cruz has an idea of where Le’Veon Bell should play next season.
Bell is set to become a free agent in just a couple of weeks after the Steelers decided not to tag him. While many teams will be in pursuit of Bell this offseason, Cruz believes the running back should go to the Big Apple.
“I think the Jets are a good fit for him,” Cruz, who played the majority of his career in New York with the Giants, said on ESPN’s First Take.
The 27-year-old Bell decided to hold out for the 2018 season to preserve his body in hopes of landing a huge deal in free agency. It was a bold decision for Bell, but his most recent years have shown that he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Two seasons ago, Bell had a career-high in carries with 321 and produced the second most rushing yards of his career with 1,291. With that came a career-high in rushing touchdowns (nine). Additionally, Bell had 85 catches for 655 yards as a receiver.
Not only would Bell benefit from signing with the Jets, but so would Sam Darnold. The young quarterback struggled to make plays with a limited number of playmakers on offense last season. Bell would take the pressure off of Darnold.
“He needs someone that he can dump it to and can create after he gets the ball in the open field,” Cruz said.
A lot of teams will be interested in the Bell sweepstakes come March, but he likes to be in the spotlight. That could potentially take a lot of teams out of the running for him and set the Jets up perfectly to swoop in and sign him.
“I know he wants to be in a major market,” Cruz added.
