Pittsburgh Steelers: It’s now okay for Le’Veon Bell to sit out

Le’Veon Bell isn’t going to attend Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason workouts or the preseason, and now, that’s all okay.

A month ago, half of Pittsburgh Steelers fans wanted nothing to do with Le’Veon Bell if he sat out this summer. While the team tried to sign him to a long-term deal, and it got nowhere, people became impatient.

Now, that’s all okay. Because not only was Pittsburgh not giving it their all to sign Bell this offseason, but they weren’t even willing to make him their top offseason priority.

Which is all fine. The Steelers had holes to fill and making major offseason signings to fill them was the right move. After Morgan Burnett and Jon Bostic joined the team, this roster is now ready for a Super Bowl run. Something that wasn’t as realistic prior to last Monday.

Unfortunately, this puts Bell’s deal on the back burner. As much as Pittsburgh would like to secure Bell for the next four or five years, the funds aren’t there after dipping into free agency.

So, Bell isn’t going to be there this summer. He isn’t going to be as upset as he would if it didn’t happen and they didn’t make offseason moves, but he’s still going to be mad enough to miss time.

Unlike last season, no one should be nervous about Bell sitting out. Maybe he’ll start the season slow, but by Week 3, he’ll be right back to dominating defenses. As we witnessed last season, Bell is the best rusher in the NFL, missing time doesn’t effect his season more than finding his groove with the offense.

James Conner can handle the starting role in the offseason. He’s looking to improve this season, and adding reps will benefit him moving forward. Plus, if he can prove himself in preseason, adding reps to his regular season role will both take pressure off Bell and add another element to this offense.

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It isn’t perfect, but Bell missing time is now acceptable. Pittsburgh made moves outside of the running back. He has reason to be upset, and because of it he’s going to miss the offseason. But this team got better, and Bell missing time is price they need to pay.