For NFL teams who are still looking to add a veteran presence to their running back room ahead of the 2021 season, there are still a few intriguing names out there. There are guys like LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson, the future Hall of Famers (or, at the least, close calls) who probably won't give you as much on the field as they will in the locker room and at practice with their experience and wisdom. There are journeymen like Alfred Morris, who has spent the last four seasons with four different teams and can give you some sturdy backup production. There are dual-threat names like Duke Johnson and Rex Burkhead if you need some additional help in the passing game. There's Todd Gurley, whose precipitous drop-off in production came as a result of injury woes, but who is looking for bounce-back opportunities ahead of him.
And then there's Le'Veon Bell, a guy who was arguably the best running back the league had to offer just a few years back, similarly to Gurley, but whose career has since been sent on a downward spiral for different reasons. It was a contract dispute that saw him sit out of the entire 2018 season. It was a disastrous 2019 season with the Jets after signing a big deal that knocked his value down even further. And it was a fairly forgettable role with the Kansas City Chiefs, who brought him on after the Jets cut him midway through the 2020 campaign, that puts him in the situation he's is now.
So what's next? According to Bell, we're going to be reminded of his greatness very soon.
And with the above post, naturally, came a wave of responses from fans (and haters) that begged the question: what will we be reminded of? For Steelers fans, we'd be reminded of incredible patience, vision and elusiveness that led to years of success. For Jets fans, a reminder of Bell's stint would mean 3.2 yards per carry despite nearly 250 attempts, which was second-to-last out of 47 qualified players. And with that, Bell had a response. Though 250 carries may seem like "opportunity," Bell argued that his time in New York was anything but a good opportunity for him to show off his skills. Among his tweets were:
— When someone said that the Pittsburgh system made him the running back he was: "lol the only difference with the steelers was they gave me opportunity... haven't had that since I left, I probably need to play for a defensive minded head coach instead of these offensive minded guru's..."
— When someone responded that being the Jets' starter was plenty of opportunity: "I had more touches in 2017 for the steelers than I had my entire time with the Jets... that's what I mean by "opportunity" weirdo"
— When a user countered that he had plenty of touches with the Jets, ranking 8th in the league in 2019: "I don’t consider a “HB dive” on 3rd & short of 4th & short EVERY TIME is an opportunity...we line up & they callin out the play, that’s not opportunity, on top of the play being a dive...I can’t make sh*t shake with that"
— When someone said he hasn't had elite talent since 2017: "lol so I had elite talent alllllll the way up until 2017.......and then just feel off a cliff huh? 🤣 okay"
According to Pro Football Reference, 52.7 percent of Bell's carries came on first down in 2019, with the large majority (63.3 percent) of his total attempts coming from with 7-10 yards to go until a first down or touchdown. However, it was hard for anyone to generate much offense in the Jets' anemic offense under Adam Gase, which ranked second-to-last in points scored and dead last in yards gained.
Is a bounce-back season in store for Bell, who is still on the right side of 30 and has proven to be an All-Pro talent in the not-so-distant past? He'll need to join a team first if that's going to happen, and that's a move he's not going to rush.
Pro Football Focus ranked Bell No. 31 among 70 qualifying running backs in their 2020 player grades, above names like Melvin Gordon, J.K. Dobbins and Ezekiel Elliott. If that's any indication, Bell still has something left in the tank that he can put to good use on a team that will be able to optimize his production. What that team will be, however — and if there will be a team — is still a big question mark.
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