Le’Veon Bell: 5 best fits in NFL free agency
By John Buhler
The Pittsburgh Steelers have themselves a dominant running back in Le’Veon Bell. He will be a free agent and here are five teams that make sense for him.
Le’Veon Bell is a two-time Pro Bowl running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he wasn’t an All-Pro in 2016, it might have been his best season as a professional. Bell had 1,268 rushing yards for a ridiculous 105.7 yards per game this year. However, he did miss the first four games of the year due to a failed drug test.
Regardless, Bell may very well be the best running back in football. That being said, multiple failed drug tests and a few injuries in his young NFL career have affected his earning potential heading into 2017 NFL free agency.
When he’s on the field, Bell is a sure thing. However, it will be a gamble for whichever teams antes up the most money for his services. Here are the five NFL teams that make the most sense for Bell to sign with in NFL free agency.
New York Giants
NFC, East
Until the end of the regular season, the New York Giants could not have been worse running the football. Much of that falls on the bland and predictable offensive scheme of head coach Ben McAdoo. Single-back sets did not get the most out of the Giants’ ground game in the slightest.
While Paul Perkins did come on in December, the Giants still finished 29th in the NFL in rushing with only 1,412 yards. For a team that plays in a cold-weather division like the NFC East, that is especially problematic.
Bell could be a solution in the New York backfield. Gaining him in 2017 NFL free agency could make the Giants a sexy pick to reach Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. He would provide the balance to the middling Giants offense as its much-needed feature back.
That being said, there are a few issues that would make it hard for Bell to land with the Giants. New York is not in great shape with the salary cap. The Giants have only $25,820,039 worth of projected cap space.
Given that they have other needs besides tailback to address on offense, Bell couldn’t garner the massive pay-day he wants with the Giants. One may also wonder if he and star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. would result in a clash of personalities. Quarterback Eli Manning wouldn’t know what to do in the Giants locker room.