The Steelers need to find a way to sign Le'Veon Bell _ sooner rather than later.
It can't be an either/or proposition with Antonio Brown, either. They need both special players in the fold for the long haul. I've laid out the reasons why Brown needs to be here several times, but I have completely changed my stance on Bell.
If I'm running the Steelers front office, I'm still nervous about Bell's reliability after he was suspended for the first three games for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. That means if he tests positive again or fails to wake up for his scheduled drug test _ whatever _ he's looking at a suspension of 10 games or more, which is troublesome given the kind of money he will get. Bell is so good, much like Ben Roethlisberger a few years ago, that he is worth the risk. The Steelers just have to hope that he has grown up, learned from his mistakes and is ready to focus on football.
Bell did have a major injury last year, but he has been durable for the most part and has shown no signs of slowing down any time soon. The average career of an NFL running back is 3.1 years, so there is always a risk, but NFL contracts aren't guaranteed and teams often cut players before their contracts expire. So even if Bell is hurt enough that his production goes down, the Steelers wouldn't be stuck with a lot of years and money on a bad contract, like in baseball. They'd have to pay him his guaranteed portion of the contract but could get out of the back end if needed.
Bell is one of the few elite-level running backs who may actually be more valuable than his quarterback. Without Bell, the Steelers wouldn't have beaten the Ravens on Sunday because they would have been nowhere within striking distance by the time the fourth quarter came. There have been a number of other games recently when Bell was clearly the best player on the field. Against the Ravens, he rushed for 122 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. It seemed as though almost every one of his runs was executed nearly entirely on talent. Yes, the Steelers offensive line is good, but Bell made a number of runs that would have been blown up if he wasn't an elite running back. Bell is the ultimate weapon, and teams having to account for him on almost every play gives even more space for Roethlisberger and Brown to do their thing.
I wasn't sold on Bell to start the season, but I am now. The Steelers would be making a huge mistake if they don't sign him to a long-term extension in the offseason. The team could use a tag and secure him on a one-year deal, but to me, it should want Bell in its backfield for the next three or four years, minimum. Either way, bringing back Bell assures the Steelers will have the best quarterback-running back combination in the NFL. That means they should be a Super Bowl contender for the next few seasons.
There are very few running backs I'd be willing to sign to a long-term deal for a variety of reasons, but Bell is just way too good to let go.
By the way, Bell was named the Steelers' MVP on Wednesday, and while I can live with that selection, I'm not changing my pick of James Harrison because I only admit to being wrong once per month.
