LeVeon Bell Will Be an Unrestricted Free Agent, and Here are the Teams that Make the Most Sense

Le'Veon Bell will be a free agent this offseason. Pittsburgh GM Kevin Colbert confirmed as much today when he said the team would not be using any tags on Bell. The Bell saga has been overshadowed in the last two months by the Antonio Brown nonsense. This decision insures that it doesn’t linger any longer. I advocated last September that they should work out a trade with him, but they did not. Now, he’ll walk away free and clear. The Steelers will no doubt face an impact from losing two all pro type players (assuming Brown is also out), but it seems a necessary excision at this point.

With Bell now on the open market, a few teams should be interested in his services. Yes, running back can be a tough position to invest in as players age. Bell just turned 27, and did not play at all last year so he’s relatively fresh. It’s pretty rare for a running back to sit out a season for non-injury reasons. Ricky Williams walked away at the same age Bell is now and was largely out of the league for three years due to the retirement then his drug suspension; he was productive to age 34. John Riggins sat out the 1980 season in a contract dispute with Washington at age 31; he may have had the best stretch from age 33 to 35 of any running back ever.

Bell is also a major factor in the passing game, which should enhance his value as he ages. He should be productive for several years, and there are some teams who could use him and have the cap space to make a move.

NEW YORK JETS

The New York Jets currently have over $100 million of cap space for 2019. The running game last year was a hodgepodge of Isaiah Crowell, Elijah McGuire, and a 30-year-old Bilal Powell who has struggled to say healthy. A multi-purpose back who can do it all, and help a young 22-year-old QB in Sam Darnold seems like a natural fit. The Jets have to be the top suitor on the list.

HOUSTON TEXANS

The Houston Texans have about $75 million in cap space, so whatever they decide to do with Jadaveon Clowney should not impact the ability to go upgrade the running back position. Lamar Miller turns 28 and the Texans could make a move to upgrade, because they could save about $6 million by cutting Miller and using it toward Bell. The rest of the running back depth chart is devoted to either role players (Alfred Blue) or injury risks you cannot rely on (D’Onta Foreman). Bell makes perfect sense in this offense as a complement to Deshaun Watson.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be higher on this list if they had more cap space, because Bell makes perfect sense in Bruce Arians’ offense. Arians loves workhorse backs, and Bell fits that mold. The Bucs, meanwhile, haven’t had that in a while. Over the last three years, the Buccaneers leading rusher has averaged 611 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. They can clear cap space (currently $15 million) with some veteran moves, and if they are serious about sticking with Jameis Winston, putting a better running game in place would be a place to start.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

The Ravens would be a natural fit for a lot of reasons, including that Bell could go to a rival and get to play the Steelers twice each year. They have had a generally productive running game with a revolving door of contributors, and in fact have had a different leading rusher each of the last four years. Bell would build on what those other replacement-level backs can do, and would be especially important with a young, mobile quarterback like Lamar Jackson.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The Colts have a ton of cap room. Marlon Mack seemed to emerge as the season went on, so it’s questionable whether they need to make the move. But if you have a chance to add a great back to a star quarterback in Andrew Luck and upgrade the offense even more, it’s not out of the question.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

The Raiders need help in lots of areas, most notably at pass rush. So expect a heavy investment in defense. But they could also use an upgrade at running back, where Marshawn Lynch turns 33, Doug Martin will be 30, and Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington are role players.