The Steelers won’t rush running back Le’Veon Bell back from his knee injury, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday, even if that means Bell misses the start of the 2016 season.
Bell suffered a torn MCL and torn PCL last Nov. 1. He had surgery and was shut down for the season.
“There is no timetable coming from us when he needs to be ready,” Colbert said. “You can’t say he will even be ready for the regular season because we won’t know that until he goes through the whole process. His health and his ability to return 100 percent is the most important [thing].”
In the big picture, the team is probably fine with Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman getting extra reps and experience in the preseason. The Steelers got solid contributions from veteran DeAngelo Williams last season both when Bell was suspended and after his injury, but Williams was injured in the regular season finale. The Steelers could also add a young running back via this year’s draft.
Bell, 24, will be entering the final year of his rookie contract. Colbert echoed what he said last month when a potential extension was brought up, saying the team won’t change its policy of addressing contract issues later in the calendar year.
Bell recorded over 2,000 total yards in 2014 and had almost 700 total yards in six games last season.