Steelers' Le'Veon Bell: Won't report, 2018 season over

Bell (contract dispute) won't report to the Steelers by Tuesday's 4 p.m. EST deadline, making him ineligible for the rest of the 2018 season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

This was the expected outcome for Bell, despite reports of him being spotted in Pittsburgh last week. Bell will thus turn his attention to the offseason, when he could hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent unless the Steelers elect to use a transition tag on him. Despite skipping all of 2018, a number of teams will likely be vying for Bell's services, given his status as one of the league's best backs over the first five years of his career. As for the rest of this season, James Conner (concussion) -- who is expected to clear the NFL five-step protocol for head injuries Wednesday -- should remain the workhorse back for the Steelers. Stevan Ridley and Jaylen Samuels also remain on hand as depth options.