Steelers RB could return to action between the week 7-8

Le'Veon Bell revealed that he hoped to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the middle of the season and was still hoping to resolve the impasse on his contract.

The clash between the semi-offensive and the Steelers was one of the themes of the off-season and continued during the first four weeks of the campaign. Bell missed the Pittsburgh opening game after failing to show up at the training.

Adisa Bakari, Bell's agent, said that his client was ready to spend a good part of the season to avoid being overexploited and maximize his chances of being in good health.

However, according to ESPN, Bell will stop his self-imposed exile between Week 7 and Week 8. The Steelers are off for Week 7 and face the Cleveland Browns at home the following week, Oct. 28, although they will not be able to compete. ;There is still a lot to do. to be seen if Bell would be fit enough to play.

Bell told the broadcaster that he was disappointed to have missed the first quarter of the season and that he had never considered letting the entire campaign go by, but he remained adamant that he had made the right decision.

"It's bad to have to sit in football," he said. "I want to play, I want to win games and playoffs, but I have to take this stand, knowing my merits and knowing that I could tear a ligament or be operated at any time, I knew I could not play 16 games with 400 or more keys. "

The Steelers and Bell did not reach a long-term agreement before the deadline of July 16 for the players labeled duty-free and he repeated several times that he wanted to get a lucrative long-term deal, especially after Todd Gurley agreed to a four-year extension worth $ 57 million with the Los Angeles Rams in July.

The highest annual average for a half-balloon, the Gurley agreement also includes a $ 20 million signing bonus and a $ 45 million guarantee. A week before Gurley signed his expansion, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hinted that the Steelers bid to Bell was around $ 70 million over five years, including more than $ 30 million over two years. Crucially, only his signature bonus of more than $ 10 million was guaranteed.

Despite the stalemate, Bell insisted that he had not given up any hope of signing a new contract with the franchise that had chosen him as Michigan State's second-round pick in 2013.

"I could be naive or hopeful, but at the end of the day, I have the impression that it's going to happen," said the half-retired , who loses $ 852,941 a week. "I do not think they really want me to leave, it could be a pride of mine, but I still have hope."

Until last week, Pittsburgh was adamant that he did not want to swap the 26-year-old man or cancel his $ 14.5 million franchise mark before various networks , including ESPN, announced that the state of mind had changed and that the Steelers were open to offers for the Pro trio. Bowler.

At the same time, it would be difficult for Pittsburgh to not welcome Bell back into the group, given its current offensive problems. The Steelers racked up 19 yards at home against the Baltimore Ravens at home on Sunday for the 24-16-24 game, their smallest game since 1970.

After accumulating 159 rushing yards in the first week, the Steelers only averaged 43.3 yards in the next three games.