Steelers will not tag LeVeon Bell putting super star running back atop 2019 free agent class

Today is the second day teams were able to place the franchise tag on their eligible players. The Steelers took this time to announce they would not be placing either the franchise tag or transition tag on running back LeVeon Bell, which means he will be an unrestricted free agent come March 13.

Slapping a tag of any kind on Bell never made much sense. They tried that last year and Bell ended up sitting out the season because he wanted a long term deal. The best case scenario for the Steelers now is to let him go and collect their third round compensatory pick in the 2020 draft.

Bell immediately adds the first bonafide super star player to the 2019 free agent class. He also bulks up an iffy running back class which was led by Falcons running back Tevin Coleman.

I have been of the mind that Bell would not be coming to Oakland. He will be demanding top dollar and it doesn’t make sense for the Raiders, who have holes all over the roster to fill, to invest that much money in the running back position. Also consider that Jon Gruden likes two-headed backfields and it makes even less sense.

Regardless, it affects the Raiders because running back is a position they have a need and anytime talent is injected into the class, that helps those teams in need at the position. Say, for instance, Coleman was the top back in the class. And a team like the Colts were looking to add a player. The Colts have approximately $108 million to spend and would surely outbid the Raiders to get Coleman. Now, with Bell in the mix, they could spend their money on him instead, taking them out of the bidding for Coleman, making it more likely the Raiders could land him.

Also see: Raiders free agent wishlist running backs