Pittsburgh Steelers: Could Le’Veon Bell or Antonio Brown return?

With question marks at running back and wide receiver, could the Pittsburgh Steelers put the Killer Bs back together for one more run?

During Le’Veon Bell‘s five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the organization went 53-27 and made the playoffs four times. Since the All-Pro running back began his contract holdout in 2018 and subsequently signed with the New York Jets, the Steelers are 17-14-1. Pittsburgh missed the playoffs both seasons. However, could the team eventually bring back Bell and former All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown?

Without Bell, Pittsburgh’s ground game suffered over the past two seasons. After finishing 20th in rushing yards per game in 2017, the team dropped to 31st (90.3) in 2018. James Conner did average 74.8 rushing yards per game and made the Pro Bowl, but his success did not lift the team. This past season, the Steelers finished 29th (90.4) in the category.

Brown’s absence became more pronounced when Ben Roethlisberger suffered an elbow injury in Week 2 that forced him onto injured reserve (IR). Without a true superstar wide receiver, Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph looked lost on the field. Injuries to JuJu Smith-Schuster only exacerbated the situation.

Overall, the Steelers went from averaging 313.0 passing yards per game in 2018 to 186.3 in 2019. Not even Brown could save Pittsburgh’s abysmal offense, but he would’ve helped a lot. When Brown played alongside Smith-Schuster in 2018, the young receiver averaged 6.9 receptions and 89.1 yards per game. Those numbers dropped to 3.5 receptions and 46.0 yards this past season.

With an elite defense and Roethlisberger entering his age-38 season, could the Steelers try to reunite some of their old studs for a final playoff push before an inevitable rebuild? Let’s take a look at each player and their individual plight that could lead back to Pittsburgh.