The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally getting their rookie running back on the field after a foot injury kept him out at the start of the season. The Steelers were hoping to make the run game a priority in the 2013 season, but a string of injuries has made things difficult for the team. Now at 0-3 to start the year, any change can only help. However, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is unsure of what Bell will bring to the team.
Head coach Mike Tomlin announced that Bell was on track to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in London. This will be the first bit of action the rookie running back has seen since leaving early in the preseason. Fans are certainly hoping the rookie can provide a boost in the offense that has been lacking for the first three games. While Roethlisberger is happy that Bell is ready to play, he is not sure he can count on the running back come game time.
"Honestly, I have no idea with him," Roethlisberger said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "You can't get a read on him. One day, he's practicing, one day, he's not; one day, he's going hard, the next day, he's not. I wish I could. If he was a guy like Heath Miller that you knew was busting his butt every day to get back there ... Le'Veon is a rookie, I don't know him quite well enough yet. But if he can come back and help us, we'll take him."
Roethlisberger does not seem as excited as Tomlin does about getting Bell back on the field. The head coach said the team was excited to watch the rookie participate in full practice this week and they remain optimistic that he can handle a full work load soon enough. Bell did see some practice time last week, but remained inactive for the third consecutive week.
Bell was expected to be the replacement of Rashard Mendenhall who was lost to free agency. He was drafted in the second round out of Michigan State where he put up 1,740 yards in 13 games. Durability has been the biggest issue, so fantasy owners should not jump on Bell just yet. He suffered a bruised knee in training camp and then had the foot sprain in the second preseason game.
Tomlin is hoping that Bell can stabilize the ground game currently being controlled by Isaac Redman and Felix Jones. Jonathan Dwyer has seen limited action as well. Jones leads the group with 71 yards on the season, averaging 4.2 yards per carry.
