On Tuesday, Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell did not sign the franchise tag, which means that Bell is ineligible to return to the field in 2018.
In Bell’s absence, second-year RB James Conner has taken full advantage of this opportunity. Conner has rushed for 771 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games. He is not only a threat running the ball, but he is making plays in the passing game(39 receptions, 387 yards, 1 TD). According to the NFL Network, Conner has more scrimmage yards, rushing touchdowns, and scrimmage touchdowns through nine games than Bell has had in the first nine games of any single season in his career.
The Steelers offense has not missed a beat without Bell, and according to Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, the Steelers’ offense is more efficient in 2018.
“You would think that going in, but then all of a sudden when you look at the numbers – basically their offense is more efficient now than it is has been in the past couple years,” Marrone said. “You start trying to look at where it has changed. You see Antonio Brown still has his 10 touchdowns. Ju-Ju [Smith-Schuster] has a high amount of catches. The tight ends are involved. Ben is Ben. He is a great player and has been for all these years.
“You knew how much the focus was on that position for them. Are they going to get the same production? Conner is playing to a Pro Bowl level. I don’t see the change as far as the production. I actually see better efficiency. I know the offensive coordinator up there has really done a nice job.”
Conner just might be playing at a Pro Bowl level. Obviously, you can’t replace a guy like Bell, but at this point, Conner is doing just that.
