Chiefs are so good, they’ve made Le’Veon Bell an afterthought

The Kansas City offense is so talented, Le’Veon Bell is now out of the conversation. 

Le’Veon Bell was expected to enhance the Kansas City Chiefs‘ run game. After being released from the New York Jets, he was looking for a revival and a ring to close out the 2020 season.

A ring could be on the horizon. The revival has not.

Bell’s limitations have been well-documented up to this point in his brief stay with the Chiefs offense. The passing attack led by Patrick Mahomes will always take priority, and with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers at his disposal, he’ll lead the NFL in yards for years to come.

Bell, who was known for being a pass-catching back with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been left out of the overall conversation. This season, he’s managed to tally 11 catches for 76 yards. On the ground, Bell’s managed to produce 162 yards on 41 carries.

But what sent Bell off the rails was when he tweeted about his status with the team following their victory over the Miami Dolphins, a team he considered signing with prior to his release. He managed to grab 35 total yards and three carries on the afternoon.

What happened to Le’Veon Bell?

Bell has not returned to All-Pro form since leaving the Steel City in 2019. Both in New York and Kansas City, his carries have been limited, but so have his yards per run. Since 2018, Bell has averaged 3.5 yards per carry and hasn’t collected more than 461 receiving yards on the year.

So why is Bell confused about his role with the team? It’s simple: He needs the Chiefs, but they don’t need him.

Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire has done his job for the 2020 season. Currently, the LSU star has finished with 724 rushing yards, 293 receiving yards and five total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Edwards-Helaire has seen roughly 55 percent or more of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, while Bell is barely managing 25 percent of snaps.

The Chiefs offense hasn’t missed a beat with the addition of Bell. At this point, he’s more a commodity than a necessity for Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy.

There’s no reason to force Bell into seeing snaps this late in the season. Kansas City would be good with him in the starting role, but the offense is great with him playing in a situational system as well.