LATEST ON LE'VEON BELL, STEELERS

It doesn’t sound like the Steelers are expecting Le’Veon Bell to show for training camp. The franchise-tagged running back, like last year, may well report to his team after the preseason concludes.

The Steelers and Bell could not come to terms on an extension, again, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports Pittsburgh did offer more than the $10 million guaranteed that was reported last week. Bell did not believe the guaranteed money was sufficient, but La Canfora notes Pittsburgh’s proposal featured “exponentially greater” guarantee figures than $10 million.

This offer was part of a five-year, $70 million proposal, and JLC confirms the $45 million over three years — which would have topped Todd Gurley‘s since-agreed-to deal that will pay him $40 million through 2020 — component of the Steelers’ final offer.

However, a sense among Steelers brass was Bell would turn down any deal proposed, per La Canfora, because of the failure of free agency come March. This is a bold move on Bell’s part, due to his throwback workload (406 touches last season — in 15 games — the most a running back’s accrued since Chris Johnson in 2009) and injury risk that comes with the Steelers’ brand of usage. But Gurley’s extension provides a clearer road map for a team looking to sign Bell.

La Canfora doesn’t believe the Steelers are expecting Bell to be back in 2019, though the 26-year-old back is expected to communicate with Mike Tomlin and likely new OC Randy Fichtner while he’s away from the team.

Last year, GM Kevin Colbert called for Bell to end his holdout and report in order to make necessary preparations for the season. This year, the longtime Steelers decision-maker isn’t as direct but remains insistent Bell showing up for camp will help him early in the season. Bell struggled out of the starting blocks in 2017, failing to exceed 100 yards from scrimmage in all three of the Steelers’ September games.

“Unfortunately, we have to go through it again,” Colbert said, via La Canfora. “The fortunate part is at the end we will have Le’Veon Bell on our team. Ideally, the earlier he gets here the better it will be for him and obviously for us, because I don’t think he got off to the kind of start (last season) he would have gotten off to had he worked for his team for a week or two, whatever that would have been.

“You just need that timing; you need that football conditioning. He’ll show up and be in great physical condition, but that can never equate to great football conditioning until they go through this.”