So much for Le’Veon Bell’s potential bye-week return to the gridiron.
The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t expect their star running back to end his holdout this week, NFL Media’s Judy Battista reported Monday via Twitter, citing a source. Bell missed all of preseason and the regular season to date as he holds out for a lucrative contract extension or trade to another team.
Am told by a source that the @steelers are NOT expecting RB Le'Veon Bell to report to the team this week. The team goes into their bye without him.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) October 15, 2018
Many expected Bell to report to the Steelers during Week 7 with the idea of playing Oct. 28 in Week 8 action against the Cleveland Browns, but that timeline now appears far-fetched.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday that Bell has kept the Steelers in the dark over his plans, and no one in the organization knows when he’ll return. Battista’s report suggests the Steelers’ bewilderment has given way to pessimism.
