Le'Veon Bell Is a Perfect Fit With the Kansas City Chiefs

Le'Veon Bell has decided to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs for the rest of the 2020 NFL season. It's a perfect fit for both sides and the Chiefs are the team that made the most sense from the get go. Once Bell was released by the New York Jets, this move felt inevitable.

The Chiefs spent a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and he's been excellent so far. The rookie is dual threat out of the backfield and fits Andy Reid's offense perfectly. After Edwards-Helaire, the depth chart is mighty thin. Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson aren't anything special, while Bell has the potential to be.

Kansas City's offense demands a running back that can be a threat in the passing game. Edwards-Helaire has been up to the challenge so far in 2020, catching 17 passes for 169 yards (9.9 yards per reception). Similarly, Bell is an adept receiver. In a down year with the Jets in 2019, he still caught 66 passes for 461 yards and a touchdown.

During his four full seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell averaged 72 catches per year. That of course doesn't include 2015 when he only played six games or the 2018 campaign where he sat out the year waiting for a new contract that never came.

Bell has been bad the last two seasons. Since signing a big contract with the Jets in 2019, he played in 17 games and ran the ball 264 times for 863 yards (3.27 yards per carry), while catching 69 passes for 480 yards. He simply hasn't been the same guy who was a three-time All-Pro in Pittsburgh. But the Chiefs don't need him to be that guy, they just need a competent fill-in for Edwards-Helaire who can handle a max of seven to 10 touches a game.

This is a great, low-cost addition for the Chiefs with a ton of upside. For Bell, it's a chance to rehab his image in league circles, show he's still got some juice left and compete for a Super Bowl ring in the process. Both sides in this deal are getting what they desperately needed.