Four ideal landing spots for Le’Veon Bell

On Tuesday’s RB1 Podcast, Pete and guests Jeanna Thomas and Adnan Ikic discussed which teams are most likely to trade for Steelers’ running back Le’Veon Bell. Here are their picks. This transcript has been edited and condensed.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jeanna: I know the Jaguars have the cap space to sign him. They have like a billion dollars. Leonard Fournette is so talented but I think his injury history and the fact that he’s out now, it’s really problematic for the offense and knowing that they have the money to spend, that’s a place where Le’Veon Bell, someone who can catch the ball and run like he does, could be the difference between playoff success and not making the playoffs.

Pete: I think the Jaguars is one too where, this is a Super Bowl or bust year and I could see the Jags making that move because that defense is legit and can win you a Super Bowl no problem.

Jeanna: And you still have Blake Bortles as your quarterback and the thing is Le’Veon Bell covers up a lot of his terrible tendencies because you can just establish the ground game much more effectively with a player like him and the short passing game. It makes sense to me.

Indianapolis Colts & New York Jets

Adnan: They both really need a running back, they both have a lot of cap space, and I think they’re both willing to part with some draft capital to get Bell in there. I read a report that the Jets were checking in on Bell already, so those are two teams to really watch out for. Plus the Colts hate addressing their defense, so this is something I could totally see them doing, adding another piece to the offense and completely ignoring that defense.

Pete: It’s a total Colts move. Andrew Luck is also bottom of the league in average completed air yards with a mere 3.4 per completion. Clearly the Colts and Luck don’t have 100% confidence in his shoulder so far. Bell adds a dynamic runner as well as a pass catcher on short and intermediate routes so Luck doesn’t have to go chucking it down the field to T.Y Hilton.

Houston Texans

Pete: The Texans are another team that has a fair amount of cap space and their offensive line is going to get Deshaun Watson killed, but putting Bell in that backfield would give him a quick outlet to help neutralize the rush. Plus, despite their poor performance, both Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue have had decent success on the ground this season so there would be plenty of running room for Bell to capitalize on since he’s vastly superior than Miller and Blue. Putting Bell and Watson in the backfield seems both unfair and like a Madden franchise owners’ dream.

Jeanna: Oh yea that would be incredible. I think having a bellcow back in Bell could make all the difference in Deshaun Watson’s development as a player. They won’t do it and they’ll be wrong.