One of the most asked questions recently, has been: Where will Le'Veon Bell sign in 2019? No one knows for sure, probably not even Bell himself.
There's still plenty of time for teams to do their due diligence on whether or not they should target his services. We still have six weeks of football left and a lot could happen in that time.
Some teams may view him as an option now, but at the end of the year, they decide they don't need him. Others may want to sneak their way into the Bell sweepstakes.
Some teams that have been rumored to show interest in Bell have been the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, and Indianapolis Colts. All of those teams have the room to make a move for someone of Bell's caliber.
There was a report that stated Le'Veon to the Jets was a “foregone conclusion.” Whether or not this is 100 percent true or not, a lot can change from now until then.
For the Jets, signing Bell makes a ton of sense. With a young quarterback like Sam Darnold, an elite running back like Bell could speed up his development.
There are a few dark-horse teams who could sneak into the bidding war for Bell. Here are those teams.
3. Houston Texans
Going into 2019, the Texans will have close to $69 million in cap space. Of course, they must worry about trying to bring back pass-rush extraordinaire Jadeveon Clowney first.
Clowney will likely garner a boat load of money, but Bell could still be in play for Houston. Lamar Miller has struggled since joining the Texans in 2016, making Bell a nice option to replace him.
Since joining the Texans, Miller has just one, 1,000-yard season. He also has failed to be a lethal weapon in the passing game, getting over 300 yards just once.
Bell, on the other hand, has posted 1,000 rushing yards in three out of his five seasons. He has also been a phenomenal option through the air, with over 600 receiving yards in three seasons.
Yes, Miller is under contract through 2020, but his price tag of $5 million isn't too much to handle. Who knows, maybe Bell and Miller could co-exist in a multi-talented backfield duo. If not, the Texans could move Miller.
Someone of Bell's stature could definitely benefit a quarterback like Deshaun Watson. With weapons like DeAndre Hopkins and Demaryius Thomas already there, their offense could become that more dangerous with Bell.
2. Baltimore Ravens
What would make Bell even happier than signing a big-time contract? Signing with a rival of the Steelers, in the Baltimore Ravens.
For the Ravens, they will have close to $35 million in cap space next offseason. As of now, guys like Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, and John Brown are impending free agents.
To land Bell, the Ravens will likely need to move a couple of things around. Whether that be restructuring Joe Flacco's contract or moving him (somehow).
The Ravens backfield currently features Alex Collins, Javorius Allen, and Gus Edwards. All of these guys could be hitting the market in 2019, leaving room for Le'Veon to become the starter next season.
None of their current running backs have shown enough to garner them the role of starting running back next season. Bell would instantly solve their issues of who to start in the backfield.
The Ravens also seemingly intend to hand the keys of the team to Lamar Jackson in the near future. Someone like Bell could lend a helping hand in his development, making a dangerous duo out of the backfield.
The threat that Jackson gives with his legs along with a talent like Bell could prove to be lethal for the Ravens.
1. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers could be a very “under-the-radar” option for Bell's services. With Kyle Shanahan running the show, anything is possible.
Heading into free agency, the 49ers will have almost $63 million in cap space. With no big-name guys hitting free agency, Bell is definitely an option if they choose to go after him.
They have Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida at the running back position. The thing is, Bell is better than both of them.
Plus, Shanahan loves using two-RB sets, which he showed in his time with the Atlanta Falcons. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman were huge reasons why the Falcons reached the Super Bowl, even though they blew it.
Bell would immediately become the lead-back, while McKinnon and Breida could be in the mix as well. Not many teams have three-headed backfields. The 49ers could create one.
The 49ers aren't paying many players much, besides Jimmy Garoppolo of course, which makes this even easier to pull off. The duo of McKinnon and Breida will combine to be a cap-hit of just about $6.4 million in 2019.
The 49ers could definitely use someone like Bell, especially with the high-powered Los Angeles Rams offense being in their division. Signing Bell could be prove to be very beneficial for San Francisco's future.
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