Steelers GM has some frank thoughts on Le'Veon Bell staying away from camp

One of the Steelers' best players has yet to report to training camp

When the Steelers face the Giants on Friday night their preseason opener, they'll do so without one of their best players. Running back Le'Veon Bell, who still hasn't signed his one-year, $12.1 million franchise tender, hasn't shown up for training camp, and it's unclear when he'll join his teammates.

The reality is that Bell probably wouldn't have played against the Giants -- Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown will be on the sidelines in their civvies for the game -- but that's not the point, at least for Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert.

"My feeling is there's nothing to be gained by a holdout," Colbert told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "The situation won't change, it can't really change from our part on a long-term deal. So it hurts him not to be here. It hurts him because he's not working with his teammates, he's not getting the conditioning work that he's going to need to have a great 2017 season. And he's not working with his teammates to get acclimated to the offense -- every year it's different."

The Steelers reportedly offered Bell a deal that averaged $12 million annually -- that would make him the league's highest-paid back by some $3.5 million a year -- with $30 million in the first two years and $42 million in the first three.

Bell turned down the deal and will play on the franchise tender -- as soon as he signs it.

"The running back market definitely took a hit, and I can't be the guy who continues to let it take a hit," Bell said last month when the two sides couldn't agree to terms on a new long-term deal. "We do everything. We block, we run, we catch the ball. Our value isn't where it needs to be. I'm taking it upon myself to open up some eyes and show the position is more valuable."

The good news is that Bell understands that the NFL is a business, and when the dust settles he doesn't want to be anywhere else but Pittsburgh.

"I definitely don't want to play for anybody else. You never know what will happen. ... I'm going to definitely enjoy my best year with the Steelers and be happy with it."

In other Steelers personnel news, Martavis Bryant, who missed the 2016 season because of suspension, has finally been cleared for preseason activities.