The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed veteran running back Le’Veon Bell with main rusher Leonard Fournette headed to injured reserve with a calf injury. According to Bell, before the call from the Buccaneers came, he was contemplating to leave the NFL and switch to boxing. But when the Buccaneers called, Bell said he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to play for head coach Bruce Arians, quarterback Tom Brady and former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate, wide receiver Antonio Brown. “I got to the point where I had thought about calling it quits,” said Bell, who played for the Steelers, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens in his career.
“This is a great opportunity, something you can’t really turn down playing with coach Arians, Tom Brady, obviously AB (Brown),” he added, saying the Buccaneers have a good thing going this season and he will do his best to help the squad win back-to-back Super Bowl titles. "This was literally the only place that could have called me and got me ready to go play,” added Bell, saying he’s “really comfortable with a lot of the Bucs verbiage he has heard so far.” “I was able to pick up a lot of the offense today,” he pointed out. Bell said Brady pulled him aside during practice and told him: “If you need anything, come ask me.”
Fournette to miss rest of regular season
Fournette, the team’s No. 1 rusher, suffered a calf injury in their loss to the New Orleans Saints and will be placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss the remaining three games of the regular season.
The Buccaneers however expect Fournette to return in the playoffs. Fournette ended his regular season with 180 carries for 812 yards and 8 touchdowns and 69 catches for 454 yards and two scores.
Bell recently played for Ravens
Bell was productive in his five seasons with the Steelers, carrying the ball 1,229 times for 5,336 yards and 35 touchdowns.
He was also a dependable receiver for the Steelers as he caught 312 catches for 2,660 yards and 7 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. But it was downhill from there for Bell as he ran the ball 789 times for 3 touchdowns in his first season with the Jets. Last season, he split time between the Chiefs and the Jets, running the ball 82 times for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
This season, he played five games for the Baltimore Ravens, logging 31 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Bell will play behind Ronald Jones, who regained his starting role with the Buccaneers following Fournette’s injury. The Buccaneers will next play division rival Carolina Panthers as they try to clinch the NFC South. The Buccaneers currently lead the division with a 10-4 mark, three games ahead of the Saints.
