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With Bell having not reported to the Steelers' facility in time to join the team for their road trip to Cleveland where they play the Browns on Sunday, the running back will surrender his $853,000 Week 1 game check, NFL.com reports.
With Bell not yet in the fold, the Steelers' official site lists him as a "Reserve/Franchise Player." In his absence Sunday, James Conner is in line to start at running back for the team, with Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley also on hand. At this stage, there is no concrete timetable for when Bell might sign his $14.45 million franchise tender. He could, in theory, report as early as next week, while others such as Jason La Canfora of CBS have suggested that the Steelers could be bracing for the possibility that Bell could be away from the team beyond Week 1. With that in mind, La Canfora speculates that the team is proceeding as though Bell might not be available for the first four-to-six weeks of the season.
