Dunlap: What To Do With Future Of Le'Veon Bell?
Glad I'm not charged with the duty of making decisions like these.
These decisions are exactly why Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert --- and his top brass --- get those enormous bucks and sleepless nights that come with seemingly every judgment they must make.
So, what to do with Le'Veon Bell?
It's that simple, really.
Man, what to do with Le'Veon Bell --- it's definitely a valid question.
When he's been on the field, the 23-year-old running back has been ultra-dynamic, perhaps one of the finest threats you have seen for these Pittsburgh Steelers no matter how long you've been following the club.
He can make two men miss in a phone booth.
He can beat you around the end with that power boost.
He can bulldog through you for that tough yard when his nose needs to find that end zone or a first down.
And, oh my, can he catch passes out of the backfield --- making him even more valuable than most.
But after a couple knee injuries, how much wear and tear is on that young body and just how much should the Steelers invest in him moving forward?
Those questions will need to be answered pretty soon.
The third-year of Bell's four-year rookie deal is coming to a close, with him missing much of this season due to either suspension or injury as he appeared in just six games.
It isn't so much the suspension anyone should be worried about. It appears he's wised up off the field after that highly-publicized incident on McKnight Road that caught the attention of the Ross Township Police.
That said, however, what about the injuries?
Is he the kind of back that the Steelers need to invest that mega-deal into?
Do the Steelers need to invest big bucks into any back at all, considering the heights Ben Roethlisberger's arm and Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant's hands have propelled them to this season with Bell not being around much?
Does the solid season DeAngelo Williams has had in a pinch accentuate that if you get a better than average back (and some are available every off-season on the cheap) he can be plugged in and played and do enough to support what has now become a pass-first offense here in Pittsburgh?
These are all things Kevin Colbert and his band of merry contract deciders must figure out in pretty short order as Bell's deal is up at the end of next season and you know how much the organization loathes letting contract stuff go beyond St. Vincent.
You see, it was back in March when former Pitt man LeSean McCoy seemed to have set the bar --- in terms of a contract at least --- for a guy like Bell. McCoy inked a five-year, $40 million deal with almost $27 million of that cash guaranteed.
For my money --- and more to the point the Steelers' money --- Bell is a better running back than McCoy … when he's healthy.
He does more than McCoy. … when he's healthy.
He's a better all-around threat than McCoy and more versatile … when he's healthy.
There can't be a sentence written right now about Bell without the requisite and obligatory "when he's healthy" because, try as hard as you might, it is a factor that is impossible to ignore.
I'm leaning toward coming out and saying that Bell absolutely deserves another contract beyond this rookie deal; that the Steelers haven't seen a back this wonderful in quite awhile and mixing him back in the fold makes this offense even more potent.
But that's all when he's healthy.
And this offense has been pretty damn potent without him.
I'm just glad I'm not the guy who needs to arrive at such a decision in the future. But it's a decision Kevin Colbert must make very carefully.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
