During his five seasons with the Steelers, running back Le’Veon Bell was one of the league’s finest at his position. Bell rushed 1,229 times for 5,336 yards and 35 touchdowns in 62 games for the Steelers.
Bell sat out in 2018 due to a contract disagreement between him and the Steelers, and he never played for Pittsburgh again.
Le’Veon Bell, a former All-Pro runner, recently declared on his Snapchat account that he will make an NFL comeback but will only consider one team.
Evidently, he expects to be in the finest physical shape he has been in as a pro, and says that if Pittsburgh calls, he would return, and that he aspires to play for the Steelers this season.
Bell stated in his post:
“I won’t start training until about March. And, to be honest with myself, I have to go out there and say, “I am going to put my foot in the ground.” Do I feel it? Am I hurt? Can I go out there and actually play again? And, bro, I’m telling you right now that when I go out there and train in March, and if I make the decision to return to play in the NFL in April, I’ll be better than I ever was. And I’ll only be back for that one team. You all recognize who it is. I don’t have to mention any teams. “You all know who it is.”
During the 2023 season, Bell visited UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and chatted with his former coach, Mike Tomlin, which might pave the way for his return.
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Former Falcons coach Arthur Smith reflects on his tenure in Atlanta.
It has been over a month since the Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith after three very different seasons ended with the same result: a 7-10 record and no postseason berth.
Smith’s tenure ended unceremoniously, with Atlanta losing four of its last five games, and Smith’s final postgame midfield handshake devolved into an expletive-laced diatribe against New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen.
The 42-year-old Smith, who was replaced by former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, is back in front of the cameras, this time as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new offensive coordinator.
In an exclusive interview with the Steelers’ official website, Smith spoke briefly about his time in Atlanta, beginning by expressing appreciation.
“Obviously thankful to be a part of Pittsburgh, but as all the different stops on my coaching journey, very grateful for the opportunity I had in Atlanta,” Smith said in a statement.
When Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot were hired in January 2021, the Falcons had just completed their worst season in seven years, going 4-12.
Smith and Fontenot were forced to rebuild an older roster while operating under strict wage cap constraints.
They outperformed expectations in the first two seasons, finishing 7-10, and after investing $190 million in free agency, they expected a significant improvement in Year 3.
Instead, Atlanta unraveled down the stretch, falling from NFC South leaders at the start of December to a position it had become accustomed to: watching the playoffs from a distance.
Smith’s retirement was precipitated by an unimpressive campaign and a growing negative atmosphere surrounding the company.
Despite his early – and possibly unfulfilled – exit, Smith will carry his experiences in Atlanta with him as he moves on to the next stage of his career.
“It was a unique situation, essentially rebuilding a team” according to Smith. “There were some valuable lessons learned.” It was a difficult lesson, but it will benefit me here, particularly with some of the young players we have, and how to suit the offense and play to those guys’ strengths.”
Each of Smith’s three drafts, the Falcons selected offensive weapons in the first round, including tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London, and running back Bijan Robinson.
Pitts set a franchise record for rookie catches with 68, which London later surpassed with 72. Pitts also had the second-highest receiving yards by a rookie tight end in league history, with 1,026.
Robinson established the franchise rookie yards from scrimmage record with 1,463 yards and eight touchdowns.
Smith and Fontenot also had success with fifth-round running back Tyler Allgeier, who broke Atlanta’s rookie rushing record of 1,035 yards in 2022.
“We had a lot of young guys we invested in, and we had three straight years where a rookie went over 1,000 yards – guys that were productive,” Smith went on to say. “Dealing with that, how they fit into this, and what we’re doing in Pittsburgh.
“All those experiences add up, but I’m really excited to be here.”
Atlanta’s offense struggled to produce consistently this season, finishing 26th in scoring (18.9 points per game) and 17th in overall offense (334.3 yards per game).
The Falcons failed to score more than 30 points in a game this season, and they did so only four times in Smith’s 51 games calling plays from the sideline.
Smith established himself as a run-heavy coach while serving as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2020. He had comparable success in Atlanta, as he led top-10 running offenses in each of the previous two seasons.
And by all indications, Smith aims to convey a similar message to Pittsburgh.
“Certainly our offenses, we’ve clearly adapted to the strengths of our players, but there’s a certain identity we want to have,” Smith went on to say. “Any offense in which I participated will have a physical brand. You want to win the line of scrimmage.”
The Steelers have a lot of playmakers, including running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and tight end Pat Freiermuth. He was the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2020. He had comparable success in Atlanta, as he led top-10 running offenses in each of the previous two seasons.
And by all indications, Smith aims to convey a similar message to Pittsburgh.
However, Pittsburgh has problems at quarterback, where Kenny Pickett is expected to start despite a rough 2023 season in which he was surpassed by backup Mason Rudolph in the final few games.
Smith was unable to secure the quarterback position immediately after trading Matt Ryan in March 2022, and he is now in a same situation, trying to figure out the sport’s most talked-about position.
Nonetheless, Smith, who allegedly received interest from seven teams with offensive coordinator vacancies, is delighted to be a Steeler, whether it’s because of head coach Mike Tomlin or the opportunity to apply Atlanta’s hard lessons to Pittsburgh’s rewards.
“It’s such a unique opportunity to be able to work for an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Smith said in a statement. “With the history, the culture here and the opportunity to work with Mike Tomlin – to me, it’s a perfect fit.”
