Steelers Sign Le'Veon Bell to Contract

The Steelers have announced that they signed 2nd round pick Le'Veon Bell to a four year contract with terms not immediately available. The former-Michigan State running back has impressed coaches so far, and many reports have him in serious contention to be a day-1 starter.

Bell will compete with holdovers from last season, Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman for the starting spot on the 2013 squad. Bell was considered by many to be a reach, being drafted as the second RB taken, but the coaches clearly love what they have, coining him a 3-down back.

Bell is a 6'1" power back who played over 240 pounds a MSU, but has nimble feet and can sustain runs after contact. If he lives up to the Steelers coaching staff's expectations and can avoid the Big Ten running back curse, Pittsburgh might have its first true-feature back since The Bus.

The Steelers needed to draft a running back after letting former-starter Rashard Mendenhall leave for Arizona in free agency, and they brought in former-Cardinal La'Rod Stephens-Howling as a change of pace back after the release of Chris Rainey.