5 Destinations for Le'Veon Bell
Le'Veon Bell was released by the Jets on Tuesday. Given that the Jets still owe him $6 million for the remainder of the season, another team now has the opportunity to scoop him up at league minimum. Here's a stab at some teams that could use Bell's services:
New England Patriots - This is a chance for Bell to spite the Jets and Adam Gase -- go to their biggest rival and thrive. Bill Belichick also loves to stick it to the Jets. That they're already dead is immaterial. New England's leading rusher, Sony Michel, just went on Injured Reserve so there's a strong football justification for making this move.
Chicago Bears - The Bears are interesting in that they have a promising young running back, David Montgomery, but their rushing stats are no bueno because the blocking has left much to be desired. Bell could be a receiving threat out of the backfield in Matt Nagy's offense, whether he has Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part, but wouldn't this be a fun reunion? James Conner is averaging 4.9 yards per carry and has three touchdowns for Pittsburgh, so Mike Tomlin's team doesn't necessarily need Bell. But Bell would still be a dynamic addition to the Steelers offense, and it would be neat to see both sides put their past behind them.
Arizona Cardinals - Arizona's leading rusher, Kenyan Drake, is only averaging 3.7 yards per carry. While Chase Edmonds does catch some balls out of the backfield from Kyler Murray, Bell would be an upgrade for the Cardinals at the position on the depth chart.
Seattle Seahawks - Pete Carroll has a high level of tolerance for eccentric players. Behind Chris Carson, Seattle's running backs don't get a ton of touches. Russell Wilson having Bell as an escape valve checkdown receiver could get pretty scary.