The start of the 2018 regular season is nearing just a few days away, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are still without the services of star running back Le'Veon Bell as he has continued his holdout into this week.

With that in mind, head coach Mike Tomlin revealed on Tuesday morning that he has yet to speak to Bell so far this week, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of The NFL Network.

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This only makes things more complicated as there is no set timetable for a return for Bell at this point in time. Pro Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has expressed that he is hoping that his teammate will be back in the fold by Wednesday in order to get on track to play in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. Beyond that, the Steelers are counting on Bell to be a major part of the puzzle offensively as he has proven to be arguably the best running back in the league over the last few seasons.

The 26-year-old had showcased that in the 2017 campaign where he finished third with 1,291 rushing yards and nine touchdowns along with a career-high 85 receptions for 655 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has is a legitimate dual-threat option out of the backfield that can highly impact the game as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield. If the Steelers hope to have a significant chance at winning the Super Bowl, it will likely need Bell to be a big part of that effort as he has demonstrated to be a major part of their offensive game plan.

It is ultimately on Bell's shoulders to decide when he wants to make his return to the team, which could be quite soon given that the season opener is just a few days away. There could be a major change to this situation in the coming days that may finally bring clarity.