Just Blog Baby
FanSided

Should the Oakland Raiders pursue Le’Veon Bell in free agency?

By Kristy Koehler

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 27: Le'Veon Bell #26 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on October 27, 2013 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 27: Le'Veon Bell #26 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on October 27, 2013 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 14: Le’Veon Bell #26 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field on January 14, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 14: Le’Veon Bell #26 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field on January 14, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Why it doesn’t make sense

Antonio Brown was a bit of a headache for the Steelers. Does adding another potential headache in Le’Veon Bell hurt the Raiders’ locker room? Bell refused to sign the Steelers’ franchise tag, sitting out all team activities and holding out for the entire 2018 season.

Combining two former teammates, both with baggage, may be a distraction that the Raiders don’t need. That being said, the Raiders are the original bad boys of the NFL, the team that offers second-chances to players who wouldn’t otherwise get it.

Bell is a veteran player, but he hasn’t played all season. How that will hurt his performance remains to be seen and is definitely a risk, especially when there are viable alternatives in the upcoming draft.

The only other team that needs a running back as badly as the Raiders do is the Philadelphia Eagles. With Oakland having such a good position in the draft, they could easily select a top running back early on and forgo a player with as much baggage as Bell has.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders News