Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner took advantage of Le'Veon Bell not reporting to the team in Week 1, and for his efforts was awarded FedEx Ground Player of the Week. The Steelers put the picture on their Instagram account and Bell commented, “yeahhh young buck!”
Conner finished the 21-21 tie with 135 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and he should continue to get the most carries on the team until Bell decides to end his holdout.
Bell is disappointed that the team couldn't come to an agreement on a new contract this offseason and is trying to make sure he is healthy going into next free agency. As long as he reports before Week 10 he will be a free agent this offseason.
Former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew spoke to Bell and said that he is disappointed that his teammates are talking bad about him, per NFL.com.
“[Bell] said to me ‘people think that I don't like Pittsburgh, I don't like James Conner, I don't like these guys,'” Jones-Drew said. “He was like yes, I was disappointed they went out and spoke about my contract, understandably so. He was like, but I still want them to do well, they're still guys that I work with and guys that I've put in this extra work with — blood, sweat and tears like I still want them to do well.
Bell won't be with the team this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs. It's unclear when exactly he will report or if he even will report, but once he does get back it appears the team has a nice one-two punch for the rest of the season.