The speculation surrounding where Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell takes his next snaps probably won't end until his holdout situation is resolved. The dynamic offensive weapon has already missed Week 1 of the regular season and shown that he is serious about securing a long-term deal.
Right now, the Steelers seem content in moving forward with second-year running back James Conner, who rushed for 135 yards with two touchdowns during Sunday's tie-ending game against the Cleveland Browns. However, what if two-thirds into the season, Pittsburgh's 2018 campaign isn't unfolding as it hoped? Does Bell then have more value finishing out a lost season for the Steelers or is he worth more as a tradable commodity?
Will Cain of ESPN Radio's "The Will Cain Show" asked that question this week. He identified two teams primed to win now where a trade makes sense — the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers.
It is important to note that Cain believed Green Bay going all in for Bell made the most sense, but he had the following to say about a potential Bell-to-49ers scenario.
"The San Francisco 49ers have $60 million in cap space next year," Cain explained. "They wouldn't be able to negotiate an extension until the new league [year] starts. But they have a quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo that's in a different class than Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. They have a guy that they're not on a two-, three-, five-year plan with Jimmy Garoppolo. This is a guy who's older and ready by all accounts to start winning now. And he's also a guy completely bereft of offensive weapons.
"The offensive line (in) San Francisco is not good, but it's not New York Jets bad. And right now, he's running out Alfred Morris and Matt Breida behind Jimmy Garoppolo. The idea of Le'Veon Bell in San Francisco makes sense to me. How much would that help to win now over the next year to two years with Jimmy Garoppolo?"
The 49ers spent big in March to acquire former Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on September 3 with a torn ACL, leaving San Francisco with Alfred Morris and Matt Breida carrying the load at running back. The two combined for 84 yards against the Vikings on Sunday in the 49ers' 24-16 loss.
