Where is LeVeon Bell headed? The Jets are cutting him loose, but some team will be interested in his services – if he wants to play.
Two years ago, recall, Bell didn’t want to play for Pittsburgh for $14.5 million. He sat out the entire 2018 season, refusing to sign the franchise tag. If he’s going to sign a one-year deal now, it won’t be for half as much. Maybe not a third as much. Todd Gurley, for example, in the offseason signed a one-year deal with Atlanta worth $5.5 million.
The vast majority of NFL teams, I think, have no interest. They’re either completely set at the position or wouldn’t want to bring in a personality of his ilk. He wouldn’t be a culture fit for many.
For Bell landing spots, I see only a half dozen teams worth discussing.
Tampa Bay. The Bucs have a bunch of other running backs, but they don’t have anybody who’s a good pass catcher, and that’s important in that offense. Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette are capable runners (maybe better than Bell in that regard) but he’s way better than those guys in the passing game. Tampa Bay signed LeSean McCoy and has been using him as a third-down back, but there’s not much left in his tank. Rookie KeShawn Vaughn isn’t ready to be a big contributor. Bell would be a deluxe version of McCoy, while also getting in on some of the ball carrier. With the Bucs gunning for a Super Bowl, they’re the team I would select in the LeVeon Bell Office Pool.
San Francisco. I am mentioning the 49ers because they could use a running back, but I don’t think Bell is a good fit here. Not at all. Kyle Shanahan is good at constructing running games, but he uses the one-cut, zone-blocking scheme, with running backs asked to decisively make a cut and go – downhill running, as they say. That’s the exact opposite of Bell, who’s arguably been the most patient runner the league has seen in the last 10 years.
New Orleans. No interest today. If Alvin Kamara were to be sidelined by an injury, he would make a lot of sense. The Saints are a winning team, which is probably a prerequisite for Bell after what he just went through with the Jets.
Philadelphia. Eagles need another running back besides Miles Sanders. Sanders isn’t really a heavy duty running back, so it’s not really realistic to count on him playing in all of their remaining 11 games. They seem to have soured on Boston Scott, and Corey Clement is more of a journeyman depth guy. A lesser team, but probably still the front runners to win the NFC East.
Chicago. The Bears don’t really have anything at tailback besides David Montgomery. They’ve been using wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson as their backup running back. Rookie free agent Artavis Pierce is the only other tailback on the roster, but he’s not a guy they could ever put on the field in a meaningful role. Tarik Cohen is out for the year. Bell could take over some of Cohen’s role, playing in obvious passing situations, and move into a time-share role as he better learns the offense. If Montgomery were to get hurt, they would sure be glad they had signed him.
Kansas City. Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been fine, but he hasn’t been outstanding. Since his nice opener against the Texans, he hasn’t averaged more than 4.0 per carry in a game. Or scored. If CEH were to get hurt, Kansas City definitely would be interested. It doesn’t have much else at the position – Darrel Williams, DeAndre Washington and Darwin Thompson are marginal guys.
Those are my six. If Bell plays in the NFL this year, I’m pretty sure it will be for one of those teams.
—Ian Allan