It would be harder to find a better known NFL signing in October than Le’Veon Bell’s addition by the Chiefs in 2020. But it’s been difficult at times to find Bell on the field since then.
Kansas City made the move to pick up Bell after his noisy release from the jets. It added another weapon to Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid to work with, especially if Damien Williams dropped out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. But Bell didn’t become a powerful general purpose like it had been in his early Steelers days.
In nine regular season games with the Chiefs, Bell contributed 63 times for 254 yards and two points, and added 13 catches for 99 yards. He worked behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire when the LSU rookie was healthy, and even when Edwards-Helaire missed the Chiefs divisional round game, Darrel Williams got more backfield work than Bell.
Bell is unlikely to play the Bills in the Chiefs’ AFC championship game due to injury.
In many ways, it’s now easy to see that Bell’s 2014 and 2016 transcendent seasons are a long time in the past. The Chiefs would never be his team. It just didn’t hurt to get on board.
MORE: That’s how much Le’Veon Bell is earning in 2020 with Chiefs, Jets
Why Le’Veon Bell didn’t send rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire off
The Chiefs were Edwards-Helaire’s rank as high as anyone. They first got him off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft with the 32nd and final first round pick. Before Damien Williams signed out, it looked like it was at most a slice of time for the rookie, but signing out put Edwards-Helaire in a big role from the start.
For the most part, Edwards-Helaire showed why the Chiefs wanted him. At 5-7, he’s a strong, down-to-earth runner who also proves his skills as a pass catcher for Mahomes. In week 1, on the opening night of the season, Edwards-Helaire ran 25 times for 138 yards and one touchdown. In Week 6, he ran 161 yards against the Bills 26 times. Not every week was perfect for the rookie, but it provided the right complement to a Mahomes-led crime.
Edwards-Helaire averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 8.3 yards per reception throughout his rookie season. Bell had not reached this mark since 2016 or 2014. In 15 games with the Jets last year, Bell averaged 3.2 yards per carry and 7.0 yards per catch. Even assuming a slight positive regression on a much better team, why should the Chiefs give more work to an aging veteran like Bell, who signed a one-year contract, than to their highly respected rookie?
Bell’s best attempt to take down Edwards-Helaire came in Week 15 when Bell ran 15 times for 62 yards and a touchdown while Edwards-Helaire carried 14 times for 79 yards. Even then, Bell’s extra touch came after Edwards-Helaire was injured, and he wasn’t as efficient as the newbie anyway.
Even before Bell signed with Kansas City, he knew whose background it was. Eric Bieniemy, the chief’s offensive coordinator, told The Kansas City Star, “Le’Veon reached out to Clyde, had a conversation with him, and basically said, ‘I don’t want to step on your toes. I want to know if I’m okay with coming in here. ‘”
No toes were trodden as Edwards-Helaire retained control of the Chiefs’ backcourt.
Why Le’Veon touches Bell less than Darrel Williams
What might have been more shocking to Bell fans is that he took a back seat to Darrell Williams in the 2021 divisional round against the Browns. Edwards-Helaire had yet to return from his ankle and hip injuries in Week 15, so Bell might appear at the start of the 2021 postseason in Kansas City. Instead, it was Williams who led the way.
Bell only received two stretchers, which he converted to six meters, and he caught neither of his targets. Williams carried 13 times for 78 yards and caught four passes for 16 yards.
Williams, another LSU player like Edwards-Helaire, was not signed in 2018. He’s only received 93 career NFL broadcasts, but the 25-year-old was Reid and Bieniemy’s decision to take most of them for Edwards-Helaire in the playoffs. Williams hasn’t been as an efficient rusher in his career at 3.8 yards per carry despite being the best 4.3 yards per carry of his career that season. His 8.6 yards per catch in his career is even better than Edwards-Helaire as a rookie, making him a solid reception weapon for Mahomes too.
The total number of divisional rounds for Williams for both rushing yards and receptions was higher than Bell’s in any game that season.
“Look, it was just the hot hand,” Reid said after the Chiefs’ victory. “Le’Veon (Bell) did everything we asked him to do and he’s a great kid man love that kid. You just get into this and sort of deal with what’s working, and for whatever reason, Darrel (Williams) was working. Look, I’m proud of him too because he never hung his head, even when he was third and fourth, he just keeps going. He may not be a household name, but maybe after this game people will know him and respect the job he does. He is a very intelligent soccer player and, as you have seen, he plays a very physical game. “
Reid’s use of the term “hot hand” suggests that Bell could still be the leading man in the Chiefs’ search for the Super Bowl. But he almost certainly doesn’t do justice to the high profile of his October move from the Jets to Kansas City.
