Is Le’Veon Bell a good fit for the Chiefs? NFL pundits seem to think so
The Chiefs could sign free-agent running back Le’Veon Bell without it being much of a financial hit.
As ESPN’s Field Yates noted, Bell has another $6 million due to him for this season from the Jets, who released him this week. And any deal with a new team will simply offset that pay. “Essentially, teams have a chance to offer Bell a minimum deal and he’ll still make a total of $6M for the rest of this season,” Yates wrote.
Chiefs fans are slightly in favor of adding Bell, as The Star’s highly unscientific polling shows 48% want him in Kansas City, 41% are against it and the rest are undecided.
Here is what NFL pundits and others around the country are saying about a potential Bell-Chiefs pairing. Most see the Chiefs as a good fit for Bell.
The NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew listed six possible landing spots for Bell, and the Chiefs were included. This is part of what he wrote: “With Bell, Kansas City would boast interchangeable, dynamic running backs who demand attention from the defense. With Patrick Mahomes out there slinging it, why not bring in another experienced weapon to supplement the Super Bowl repeat effort? Seems like a no-brainer to me.”
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell listed the Chiefs as a potential suitor for Bell. Here is an excerpt from that story: “The Chiefs are another team with a young back that might want Bell as a second option. Rookie first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire has had impressive moments during his first five weeks, but he has struggled in the red zone, failing to score once on seven touches inside the 5-yard line. I’m willing to chalk that up to a small sample, but the backs behind Edwards-Helaire are underwhelming.”
The Chiefs were mentioned in USA Today’s story of seven possible landing spots for Bell. Nate Davis wrote in part: “Bell would provide not only insurance but could also make an instant impact as a change-of-pace or third-down back — surely able to chew up chunks of yardage given the space created underneath as WRs Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman and TE Travis Kelce stretch defenses to their limits.”
The Sporting News listed the best teams for Bell to join, and the Chiefs were included. This is a snippet of what Vinnie Iyer wrote: “This would be the ultimate revenge for Bell: from going nowhere with Gase, to getting another shot at winning it all outside of Pittsburgh — and a potential shot to burn the Steelers, too.”
Jordan Cohn of Radio.com named eight possible fits for Bell. At No. 1 is the Chiefs. This is part of what Cohn wrote: “Clyde Edwards-Helaire started off his season on an incredibly high note, but has yet to reach the end zone in the four games following Week 1. The other running backs (Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson) aren’t doing much to prove they should have a role in the offense. And after a surprising loss to the Raiders, why not do all you can to shore up any potential weak points and further establish yourself as the favorites to take home another Lombardi Trophy?”
It’s worth noting that SB Nation listed six teams that would be good for Bell and the Chiefs weren’t mentioned.
Rich Eisen of the NFL Network ran through possible suitors for Bell and doesn’t see the Chiefs making a move.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 8:55 AM.
