Chris Infante
You may read that headline and say to yourself "the case is the eye test, he's unbelievable". You're right. Just watching the way Bell plays it makes all the sense in the world to go after him in free agency. But do you know just how valuable Bell could be to the Eagles offense? Let's take a look over these next few pages (below). Reliability Going into the 2018 season, Bell was first amongst all running backs since 2013 in percentage of snaps played: In 2017, Bell's last full season, he played a whopping 85.26% of the Steelers' offensive snaps. Within those offensive snaps, Bell was in on 91% of the running back snaps, received 87.2% of the carries, and was the only running back to be targeted in the passing game. Last season, the Eagles' backfield snap count leader was Wendell Smallwood, who played 29.67% of the offensive snaps. Since 2013 (Bell's first year in the league), the previous leaders for the Eagles were 2017: LeGarrette Blount 31.30% 2016: Darren Sproles 45% 2015: DeMarco Murray 41.70% 2014: LeSean McCoy 65.76% 2013: LeSean McCoy 79.06% A bit of a downward trend for the Eagles since Bell has been in the league. Bell would not only provide a reliable option in the backfield, he brings a skillset that is sorely needed in the Eagles offense. Production, Production, Production That's all Le'Veon Bell has given to the Steelers since he's been in the league. Since 2013, Bell is fifth in rushing yards, behind LeSean McCoy, Frank Gore, Lamar Miller, and DeMarco Murray. However, Bell sat out all of 2018, which means the other running backs in front of him have played in 27, 32, 30, and 14 more games respectively. Out of the five running backs, Bell has the highest average yards per game with 86.1. Just for fun, let's extrapolate that yardage another 32 games. That's another 2,755 yards, which would have put him at 8,091 yards rushing since 2013. Obviously this did not happen, but for him to be on that pace is incredible. Not only is Bell dangerous when getting the handoff, he is also pretty nifty as a receiver. In the same time frame mentioned above, Bell has the most receptions for a running back with 312. He also has the most receiving yards and is fourth in receiving yards per game with 42.9. He trails two second year players (Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey) and a rookie (Saquan Barkley) whom have a much smaller sample size than Bell. When the ball is in Bell's hands after a catch, he makes the most out of it: https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1080860356082364416 Add the rushing yards per game average with the receiving yards average and you get a running back who will give you 129 total yards per game on his own. But there is one other aspect of his game that the Eagles would welcome just as much as his production. Protecting the Quarterback Le'Veon Bell understands that protecting his quarterback is essential to a great offense. He is not afraid to sacrifice himself to give his quarterback a few more seconds to throw. Just look at how he comes from the left side of the back field to the right to pick up a rushing defender: That block on the blitzing defender gave Ben Roethlisberger an extra second to throw. Big time need for the Eagles as their offensive line gets older and this would allow the Eagles to let their tight ends move out on routes more. In 2017, Bell was 11th among qualified running backs in pass-block rating according to ProFootballFocus:
| Rank | Name | Team | Pass Block Grade | Pass Block Snaps |
| 1 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | 83.9 | 103 |
| 2 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | 83.4 | 91 |
| 3 | Marshawn Lynch | OAK | 81 | 41 |
| 4 | Jamaal Williams | GB | 80 | 62 |
| 5 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | 79.4 | 91 |
| 6 | Dion Lewis | NE | 78.9 | 45 |
| 7 | Javorius Allen | BLT | 75.3 | 67 |
| 8 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | 75 | 71 |
| 9 | Theo Riddick | DET | 74.9 | 80 |
| 10 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | 73.7 | 53 |
| 11 | Le’Veon Bell | PIT | 73.4 | 65 |
If you take out the backs with less than 60 pass block snaps, Bell would be eighth. This is a crucial aspect of any offense, but especially so with the Eagles. Now, can the Eagles afford him? Projected Contract Todd Gurley's four year $60 million contract with the Rams will almost certainly be a starting point for conversations. General managers can argue that his year off from football devalues him, but Bell can argue that his body his healthier than that of a running back who just played another year. He'll probably sign for more than Gurley, but not much more. I expect a four year deal around $65-$70 million with $50 million guaranteed and a $25 million signing bonus, making him the highest paid running back in the league. Is that something the Eagles can do? Right now, the Eagles are hovering around $21 million in cap space. With the rumors that Nelson Agholor and/or Michael Bennett may be moved (via trade or cut) the Eagles may be looking at $28-$35 million in cap space. This is more than enough space to fit Bell's contract. How did we get here from being deep in the negatives? Check out Liam Jenkins' superb article on #HowieSZN This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Eagles. Yes the price tag is high, but they will be getting a running back with talents Eagles fans have not seen since LeSean McCoy. Make it happen Howie.
