According to Bell, who will turn 32 in two weeks, he “will only come back for that one team.” We can safely assume the Steelers are “that one team,” as they are the team that drafted him in 2013 and the team he spent the first six years of his career with. Bell also said, “I will be better than I ever was,” which is a bold statement for a player who was twice named a Second-team All-Pro (2016 and 2017), and was a First-team All-Pro in 2014. In his prime, Bell was one of the best running backs in the league totaling 1800-plus yards from scrimmage in three of his first five seasons in the league. His 2018 holdout amidst a contract dispute with the Steelers resulted in him missing a year, only for him to return in 2019 to sign a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the Jets that lasted little more than a year. Bell clearly lost a step in his return to action and played only two more seasons before going unsigned in 2022. It’s genuinely hard to imagine Bell signing with a team, even if he does decide to return. At best, he’d be the RB3 on a Steelers roster that has a first-rounder in Najee Harris and an emerging dual-threat back in Jaylen Warren. Over the last 10 years, there have been 24 backs to handle a rush attempt in their age-32 season or later. Bell joining those ranks would be surprising.

Bell's spot was needed with Leonard Fournette returning from IR. In eight regular-season games between the Bucs and Ravens, Bell ran for just 101 yards while averaging 2.8 YPC. Turning 30 in February, it won't be surprising if Bell retires this offseason.

With Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard, and Ronald Jones all hurt, Ke'Shawn Vaughn paced the backfield with 10 carries for 29 yards and a two-yard touchdown. Bell was next in line for touches, securing a goal-line touchdown catch. The Bucs hope to have Fournette back for the start of the playoffs next week against the 49ers.

Bell, per Auman, profiles as the team's best pass-catching back for Week 18. That could mean Vaughn and Bell will split early-down duties and Bell will take on the third-down role against Carolina. Bell would be the superior PPR option in such a scenario. Neither Tampa back would have much upside if they share backfield responsibilities against the Panthers' exploitable rush defense. Ronald Jones (ankle) likely won't play in Week 18.