Since the Pittsburgh Steelers placed star running back Le'Veon Bell under the franchise tag for the 2018 season for the second straight year, there has been little movement toward a new deal. There has been much interest in getting an extension worked out but nothing has truly come about up to this point.
This has led to the possibility that the Steelers may have to look elsewhere for a long-term answer at the position if a new contract is unable to be agreed upon. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the front office has begun that process with looking in this year's draft class for a potential replacement.
That the Steelers are looking for Bell’s replacement in the draft: This is more significant than some other speculation and is at least partly true.
The Steelers are prepared to protect themselves, since Bell negotiations have proved difficult. The team’s interest in LSU’s Derrius Guice, for example, is genuine. His interview with the team at the combine was described to me as all hands on deck.
If the team nabs a running back during the first two days of the draft, they are officially ready for anything.
The fact that the Steelers have at least entertained the idea of bringing in another promising running back shows that they are willing to move on. There have been reports that both sides are not far off in terms of negotiating a new extension, but there is no certainty that will be worked out before the start of training camp or even the deadline on July 16.
There are some feasible young running back in this year's draft beyond Penn State's Saquon Barkley as LSU's Derrius Guice has drawn plenty of attention around the league. Guice has been compared to the likes of Marshawn Lynch given his explosive and barrelling running ability that could be a workhorse back.
Unless things are worked out prior to the upcoming draft later this month, there is a realistic chance that Pittsburgh could snag Bell's eventual replacement in the 2018 NFL Draft in a couple of weeks.
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