5 teams that should trade for Le’Veon Bell

The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t take Le’Veon Bell back into the locker room after Wednesday’s eruption from inside the building. Le’Veon Bell, 26, has decided to stay away from the team after being given the franchise tag for the second consecutive season. Should Bell decide to come back and let bygones be bygones, he would have to sign his tender. This would allow Pittsburgh to move him for picks and/or players.

So which teams could be in the running should Bell be put on the block? Here are five franchises that would likely take a run at him.

5. Washington Redskins

The Redskins desperately need a running back. Dan Snyder, one of the most aggressive owners in the sport, wouldn’t shy away from bringing in a star and spending big bucks to do it. Bell would immediately upgrade the offense. Additionally, once Derrius Guice comes back from a torn ACL next season, the Redskins would have a dynamic one-two punch coming out of the backfield.

4. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have to find a way to take some pressure off of Andrew Luck. Nobody has been asked to do more with less than Luck since he arrived in the league as a rookie in 2012. Indianapolis has gobs of cap space. While it isn’t a contender by any means at the moment, the Colts could take a huge step forward in that direction with Le’Veon Bell lining up behind Luck.

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3. New York Jets

If you are looking for a sleeper team in the AFC, feast your eyes on Gang Green. The Jets aren’t going to upstage the New England Patriots in the AFC East. However, with Sam Darnold and a good defense, New York could be playing meaningful football into December. Adding a talent such as Bell would give the rookie plenty of help and perhaps put New York into the postseason for the first time since the Mark Sanchez era.

2. Oakland Raiders

Why would the Raiders go after Bell? Because Jon Gruden is willfully stuck in 1998, and back then, running backs were almost as important as quarterbacks. Additionally, you can just see Gruden taking that bounty he got from the Khalil Mack trade and giving up a chunk of it for Bell, because none of it would make any sense.

1. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are the best fit out there for Bell. The offense is tailor-made for his skills alongside the new golden boy in Jimmy Garoppolo, with offensive guru Kyle Shanahan overseeing the operation. San Francisco also needs a replacement (and eventual upgrade) from Jerick McKinnon, making Bell an easy sell for general manager John Lynch. If the 49ers can find a way to bring Bell into the fold, the offense hits another level.

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