Colbert optimistic about striking a deal with Bell
Colbert said of using the franchise tag on Bell again. “We’ll never say we wouldn’t use it.”
But … “Our goal is to be able to sign him to a longterm deal.”
Part of the problem is their situation under the salary cap. They have a little more than $7.6 million under the salary cap with their top 51 contracts, according to Over The Cap, after they restructured the contracts of David DeCastro and Stephon Tuitt this week. A franchise tag on Bell would gobble up nearly twice that much room. They likely must do more. “We’ve done some things already with some restructures,’’ Colbert noted. “We won’t close the door on having to make further moves.”
Some of those moves might be to release veterans.
“That’s always a possibility when you’re trying to get your team better and under the cap situation,’’ Colbert said.
But they do seem intent on keeping Bell one way or another.
“We didn’t know how he would be after being tagged,” Colbert said of Bell in 2017. “But he was great; he was great on the field he was great in the locker room. He didn’t disappoint us in any aspect of it.
“We met with Le’Veon before he left [after the 2017 season] and said look we have a strong desire to keep you with the [Steelers] the remainder of your career.
“We do know that Le’Veon has been a great player for us. We think he can still be a great player from this point forward and we’d love to have him be a Steeler for the rest of his career.”
Bell rushed for 1,291 yards last season and likely would have been the first Steeler to lead the NFL in rushing had he not been held out of the meaningless season finale against Cleveland. He also caught 85 passes, second on the team.
“He came in and had a great season so we’re at that point again,’’ Colbert said. “We’ll see where it goes between now and the beginning of the season.”
The Steelers can place the franchise tag on Bell between Feb. 20 and March 6. If they do not and do not sign him, he will become an unrestricted free agent March 14.
Among other things Colbert touched on Thursday while speaking to local media at the team’s UPMC Rooney Sports complex:
• “We have to be better. I don’t think we were better in 2017 than we were in 2016 because we got eliminated a round earlier. That’s a reflection on the job that all of us did or didn’t do. How do we get better? Well, we have to figure out a way to not get eliminated in the first round.”
• On the Steelers defense: “If we don’t change the roster we had in 2017, what reason would we think there’d be any difference in the result? So we have to be ready to be better than we were last year.”
• Cornerback Joe Haden and tight end Vance McDonald, each acquired after the preseason, should fit in better next season because they will be with the team from the start.
“Having that type of player with us for the whole offseason will only enhance their abilities to help us.”