The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming into the offseason knowing that star running back Le'Veon Bell is likely going to be suspended for the start of the season and his punishment could be up to four games following his DUI arrest last summer and this comes as the team is working on a contract extension with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Bell had a monster season in 2014, but he will be missing in action to start the year for the Steelers in 2015. John Clayton at ESPN.com reported that Bell likely would be suspended at least two games following his July 2014 DUI, but there is a chance his suspension could be for longer than that. Pro Football Talk reports that while the new NFL policy has a two game suspension for a first offense DUI involving alcohol, it allows for a suspension "up to four games" when it involves other substances.
Bell was placed on probation following his DUI that involved marijuana with fellow running back LeGarrette Blount and now he could be the first "test case" for the league regarding this part of the policy, according to PFT. Whether the suspension is for two games or four games, Bell being out is a significant loss for the Steelers. Bell accounted for a huge percentage of the offense for the Steelers and with LeGarrette Blount now on the Patriots, they will need a solid backup to start the year.
Having Dri Archer and Josh Harris is not enough for the Steelers and with Bell out for two to four games, Pittsburgh may look at the draft or the free agent market for depth. Darren McFadden, Mark Ingram and Cj Spiller are some of the players hitting the market, while DeAngelo Williams and Reggie Bush are also available after getting released. The draft is also deep at running back in 2015, with players like Ameer Abdullah, Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson, TJ Yeldon and Melvin Gordon entering.
Bell was healthy for all 16 games last season after missing three in 2013 and he was one of the league leaders in total yards from scrimmage. Bell rushed for 1361 yards last season and eight touchdowns and he also had 83 receptions for 854 yards and another three scores. The Steelers are also looking at signing Ben Roethlisberger to a contract extension this offseason, as he is coming into the final year of his deal. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the team has already started to engage Roethlisberger in talks and general manager Kevin Colbert said he was "optimistic" a deal will get done. Roethlisberger has a high cap hit coming up and working a new extension could lower his cap number.
The Steelers may look at Darren McFadden or DeAngelo Williams on the market as backups for Bell, as they could come in as veteran options on the cheap. Scott Brown at ESPN.com writes that Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and Brett Keisel are all on the bubble to return and that the team may allow outside linebacker Jason Worilds to hit the free agent market. The Steelers made the playoffs last season with Roethlisberger having one of his best seasons and the team will now have to try and deal with the Bell suspension.