Through the last couple of weeks, there had been a consistent dialogue that Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell be back in the fold following the Week 7 bye.

However, that doesn't appear to be the case as Bell has decided not to show up this week that he could now be back in the fold after the trade deadline next week, according to NFL reporter Jim Trotter. (h/t Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network)

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This puts yet another wrench into the situation as there had been a growing assumption that Bell would be back with the team this week. There were various reports that voiced this notion to be the case, but it appears that things have instead headed toward him wanting to see things out beyond the Oct. 30 trade deadline. This would provide him the clarity on where he will be playing for the rest of the 2018 season when he does return.

There has been chatter that the Steelers are looking into the trade market to find a resolution to this entire matter, but the team reportedly has too high of an asking price to get a feasible offer pushed their way. The Philadelphia Eagles have been rumored to have interest in acquiring Bell, but things have quieted on that front over the last several weeks. However, it could heat back up if the Eagles believe adding more depth in the backfield is a pressing situation.

In his absence, second-year running back James Conner has stepped up in a major playing like a three-down running back with 403 rushing yards and second with seven rushing touchdowns along with 26 receptions for 257 receiving yards in the first six games played. He has notched three 100 rushing yard performance that has reached that mark in the last two games with four total touchdowns over that span. The longer that Bell stays out of the mix, the more opportunities that Conner will get to prove himself on the field.