The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a season that recorded the worst rushing attack in franchise history. First-year offensive coordinator Todd Haley led the Steelers to 26th ranking in rushing, averaging 96.1 yards per game. Team officials set out to make the run game a priority, drafting rookie Le'Veon Bell and signing LaRod Stephens-Howling to pair with Isaac Redman. However, a Plan B might be necessary as Bell appears to be out with a Lisfranc injury.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that Pittsburgh is under the belief Bell has a Lisfranc foot injury and could miss an extended amount of time. Bell suffered the original injury during Monday's preseason game. Mike Tomlin notes that the rookie will go and get a second opinion first.
Pittsburgh is no stranger to this type of injury. Tight end Matt Spaeth was recently diagnosed with the injury and is projected to miss eight to 10 weeks. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Bell's version of the injury is not as severe. This could require Bell to have surgery at some point.
Bell had been making some noise in training camp, leaving many to believe he will take over as the starting running back at the beginning of the season. If he misses an extended period of time, where does this leave Pittsburgh? Tomlin will be forced to prep Jonathan Dwyer and Redman as co-starters on the team. Dwyer is entering his fourth year with the team. Last year he put up 623 yards for two touchdowns. Redman had 410 yards and two touchdowns last year with the Steelers. Bell put up 1,740 yards in his final season at Michigan State.
Dwyer has looked impressive in the preseason. Against the Redskins on Monday, he put up 68 yards on 14 rushes. The question will be whether or not he can handle the load that comes with being a starter. Redman's preseason has been hot and cold. The running back has been kept off the field due to a slew of injuries. That could easily impact his performance when the season kicks off.
Fantasy football owners beware, Bell might have looked promising a week ago, but now it could be time to place him on waivers. Dwyer has a strong history of production and is likely to get a majority of the reps. The key with Dwyer is he also put up 106 receiving yards on 18 receptions. The Steelers are not necessarily hurt by Bell's injury, but the rookie will certainly be missed.
