With Le’Veon Bell getting closer to his return to the Steelers, they’re practically rolling out the welcome mat.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he was excited to have his star running back back with the team, and there were “no hard feelings.”
“We will be ready for [Bell] whenever he gets here,” Roethlisberger said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “We always want our guys here. But he didn’t have to be here. So, we want him here because he’s an amazing football player and he helps this team. So, when he gets here, hopefully it won’t take him long to get into football shape.”
Bell has been working out on his own in South Florida, while waiting to sign his $12.1 million franchise tender. The Steelers would have clearly preferred having him around the last month, but Bell would have preferred the security of a long-term contract after they tagged him.
But Roethlisberger didn’t think it would take Bell long to catch up with the new wrinkles in the offense, but praised the work of reserves James Conner, Fitzgerald Toussaint, and Knile Davis who played the preseason in his stead.
“He’s a physical back — it’s a violent sport. The running back position takes a beating,” Roethlisberger said. “So we just have to hope the other guys are ready to go if he needs spelled. . . .
“If he just comes back, I don’t know if he’ll be ready to play every single play like he does typically during the season. So we’re going to have to have other guys ready to give him breaks.”
Roethlisberger said he understood the business side of Bell’s absence, so it’s good that he doesn’t harbor any ill will. I mean, why would he? It’s not like Bell held a retirement threat over the team’s head or anything.