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After on Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers probably will not see the star running back Le'Veon Bell until just before Week 1 of the upcoming season.
On Tuesday, Bell's agent confirmed what we all suspected. It will not come as a surprise to the Steelers. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, "This is the team's expectation all along."
More on Bell's Le'Veon
Speaking of expectations, nobody should expect Bell's absence from training camp and the preseason to impact his performance on the race of the season. He skipped training camp and the preseason last year under similar circumstances – he turned to the Steelers' contract offer and opted to play under the franchise tag – and after a slow start to the season, he proceeded to total 1,946 yards and 11 touchdowns from scrimmage, which led to him getting franchise tagged for a second straight season and here we are still talking about Bell's likely holdout.
The Steelers, who are the best team in the AFC North, do not necessarily need to be in their best week. Based on last season, his holdout should not be affected by his production.
"Le'Veon understood the whole time that they were at stake and they were consummating an agreement with the Steelers," Bakari said on ESPN, via NFL.com. "[HeisgoingtobeapproachingthisoffseasonthewayhehasHeisgoingtobereadyforthebeginningoftheseason"
Bell's perspective, he needs to do everything in his power to preserve his body.
"It's not a strategy, it's not a ploy to pressure anyone," Bakari said on SiriusXM NFL Radio, per NFL.com. "It's quite frankly a way to preserve the body."
Bell, a 26-year-old running back who should finally get his chance to test the market, is right to prioritize himself in this situation. might help him get ready for Week 1, but he needs to be ready for the 2019 offseason more than anything.
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