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Pittsburgh Steelers: Le’Veon Bell Gets Exclusive Franchise Tag

By Russell S. Baxter

Jan 8, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell (26) rushes the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter in the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 30-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell (26) rushes the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter in the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 30-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s hardly a surprise that the Pittsburgh Steelers are giving running back Le’Veon Bell the franchise tag. Let the negotiations begin.

Tag, you’re it. And apparently the Pittsburgh Steelers refuse to play that game with anyone else this offseason. According to the team (via Teresa Varley of Steelers.com), potential unrestricted free-agent running back Le’Veon Bell has been given the exclusive rights franchise tag by the club.

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That means not one of the other 31 teams in the NFL can negotiate with the four-year pro. No offer sheet can be produced. The Black and Gold have until the middle of July to get a long-term deal with the workhorse performer. Bell comes off a monster 2016 campaign despite playing in only 12 regular-season contests.

The career resume is impressive enough. But Bell outdid himself this past year, despite missing the first three games of the season due to a second league suspension. The former Michigan State standout also sat out a Week 17 home game vs. the Cleveland Browns. And we’re talking about a player that in his second NFL season rolled up 2,215 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns in 16 games.

Only Arizona’s David Johnson (2,118) and Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (1,994) totaled more yards from scrimmage than Bell (1,884), who ran for 1,268 yards, caught 75 passes for 616 yards and scored nine touchdowns in those dozen games.

But that only tells half the story. In his final six regular-season outings, the busy performer totaled 191 touches (161 carries, 30 receptions) for a combined 1,091 yards and seven scores. Bell would add 29 attempts for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the playoff win over the Miami Dolphins. One week later, he rushed for 170 yards on 30 carries at Arrowhead Stadium in a win over the Chiefs. But he managed only six runs for 20 yards before going down with a groin injury in the AFC title game loss to the Patriots at Foxborough.

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By season’s end, this was a Bell-driven offense rather than a unit led by the strong-armed talents of Ben Roethlisberger. He helped the team control the ball and also gave time for the defense to find itself.  And those are two key reasons can’t afford to let the 25-year-old running back get away.

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