Running back Bell lands with Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed running back Le’veon Bell two days after he was released by the New York Jets.

The team announced the move Thursday to add another potential dynamic offensive player to an offense that already features Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.

“Kansas City, #Chiefskingdom, thank you for the opportunity let’s go!” Bell tweeted.

Bell was cut by the Jets after a disappointing tenure in New York that lasted less than two full seasons. Bell and coach Adam Gase appeared to not mesh since the running back signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with $35 million guaranteed last year as a free agent.

Bell spent his first six NFL years in Pittsburgh, and was an All-pro twice and ranking second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 7,996 from 2012-17.

He sat out the entire 2018 season in a contract dispute with the Steelers. He became a free agent and joined the Jets in March 2019 and was expected to be a dynamic presence in Gase’s offense.

Instead, Bell never consistently flashed the skills that made him one of the NFL’S best dual threat running backs before sitting out. He rushed for 789 yards and three touchdowns and also wasn’t as prominently featured in the passing game as expected, catching 66 passes for 461 yards and a score.

Symptomatic players, coaches will be treated cautiously

The NFL plans to take a cautious approach that may force players and coaches reporting flu symptoms to miss games without testing positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, made it clear in a conference call Thursday that one negative test is not going to be enough to clear someone with symptoms.

“We all know that we’re going into cold and flu season. It’s going to be a lot more sore throats, stuffy noses, coughs that develop,” Sills said. “With the situation we’re in, we always have to rule out COVID first. So when someone reports symptoms, even if they have a negative test that same day, we’re going to hold that individual out of the facility.”

Sills added that anyone else deemed high risk through contact tracing with those individuals also will be removed from the team facility

The Atlanta Falcons closed their facility Thursday following a second positive test for COVID-19. One player tested positive earlier in the week. The team remains scheduled to play at Minnesota on Sunday and could return to the facility today.

Notable

Fred Dean, the fearsome pass rusher who was a key part of the launch of the San Francisco 49ers’ dynasty, has died. He was 68.