The Pittsburgh Steelers’ backfield now belongs to James Conner.
Heading into Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers were looking for ways to scheme both Le’Veon Bell and James Conner into the backfield. Conner has earned a role on this team, after his impressive training camp.
Then, Bell decided he wasn’t showing up. After telling the team he’d be in Pittsburgh on Labor Day, Bell didn’t show. Now, not only has he lost the trust of his teammates, but he has lost his job in the backfield.
Touching the ball 400 times this season is now gone. Bell’s role when he returns (a timetable we do not know) will be behind Conner. As long as the second-year back proves he’s capable of being productive.
Week 1 is a test-run for Conner. He has the entire game to prove he’s worth the job as the Steelers’ starting running back. Nothing is going to be handed to him, but he has a strong possibility to move the future forward with a strong performance against the Browns.
At this point, Pittsburgh, locker room and all, want Conner to be their running back. He isn’t going to meet Bell’s talent, but he has their faith and until Bell shows up and fixes the chemistry issues, the offense is looking for Conner to run the backfield.
He was going to take over next season anyways. Bell wasn’t resigning in Pittsburgh and Conner’s summer performance was enough to earn himself the role next season. That moves up a year with all the drama Bell is causing.
The offensive line is excited to see what Conner can do. They’ve been tweeting and talking for the last 24 hours showing their displeasure with the star running back who won’t show.
Maurkice Pouncey: "The business part...I get it. But not if it's game day. We have a game this Sunday, we're all the way into the gameplan and you're still not here?"
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 5, 2018
It’s Conner’s team, now. All he has to do is put on a show and he’ll move Bell right out of Pittsburgh. It’s doubtful they’ll rescind his franchise tag, but he certainly won’t get the touches he’s expecting if they can put Conner in the backfield.
A series of unfortunate events, but none Bell couldn’t turn into a better situation. Now, the team is against him, which is bad news for his season. But it’s great news for the second-year back out of Pitt.