Bearing in mind that there are no real quality WRs in this free agency class, the best pass rusher is likely to be Jadeveon Clowney (and even he might get franchised), and the Colts will have over $100 million in cap space, some of which must be spent.

When you consider those factors, Bell makes a lot of sense.

Ansah might hit the market. Lawrence will probably be resigned. Brandon Graham might be available. I hope we target Frank Clark of the Seahawks, if they don't franchise him.

I saw that the Bucs are up against the cap and could release Gerald McCoy. At 31 would guys be ok with signing him?

Earl Thomas should lead a good safety class. I don't know if we resign Geathers.

Also, read that Bell is on the Texans radar. Would guys be ok passing on him and seeing him sign with the Texans?


Upcoming free agent WR so far

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-age...wide-receiver/

You can look at RB's too easily enough

Keeping him out of the division is enough of a reason for me to be in favor of signing him.

It's definitely a reason to consider. He will be playing somewhere. Jets could be a target as well. I don't like the idea of him in the AFC, let alone our division. Him, Watson, and Hopkins would make a formidable trio.

The free agent wr class is ugly this year so I think it must be addressed early in the draft. Bringing in Bell mitigates the need somewhat because he’s such a good receiver. You can line him up wide, put him in the slot or just let him release from the backfield. He would serve as the most dangerous checkdown threat that Luck has ever had. Throw in his excellent blocking skills as well as his undeniable skill carrying the ball and I believe you must at least meet with the guy. I would go heavy on D throughout the draft with the exception of the aforementioned wr and continue to invest in line depth on both sides of the ball in free agency. Hopefully at least one more defensive starter can be found in free agency as well.

Hypothetically you have a choice between Bell and Antonio Brown, who do you take?

I'd take Brown. WR units needs much more help than the RBs

Bell, but only because Brown is a "me first" diva.

Neither.

Of the two, Bell, but “neither” is the best choice.

Neither is the smart choice. AB would be a disaster in this offense. He is pissed he is not the center of the universe in Pitt, how is he going to deal with the Colts offense. Fuck that guy.

Bell.

It will be interesting what Ballard does. I’d like to see Bell, but I think Ballard has a specific plan in mind for building a team. I gotta trust the guy after the year he’s given me. I’m just a happy fool that we are playing football in January

I would be delighted if any of our AFC South competitors burned $17-$20M of their cap space for each of the next 4-5 years on this guy.

Not sure about afc south, but wouldn't mind him playing for the chargers or jets or something. I honestly hope the Steelers play some sort of franchise or transition trickery and force him to play for the Steelers or sit out another year.


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Only if he is ineffective and doesn't live up to the contract.

I don't want any of the prima dona former Steelers, who have been coached and spoiled by one of the least disciplined coaches in the NFL.

There is no way they walk in and buy into a culture of accountability. They've never had to.

Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on with the Steelers, but these are two of their best players, and actually, among the best players in the NFL and they want out. Great players, but not worth long term, large contracts.

I'm not so sure that Bell is a prima dona. He wants to work on a contract that is just not year to year. So would you if your job could be done, along with your ability to make money for you and your family's future, with one move at work. Can you show me one example of Bell not being accountable. He held out. BFD. That is the only thing a professional athlete can do to get paid. The Steelers were looking out for the Steelers financially and are home drinking eggnog today. If they paid Bell what he is worth, I'm betting they'd be playing this weekend. The guy is a stud on the field. The best runner, blocker and pass receiver in free agency this year. He would be huge in this offense. Kick those tires Ballard

Given the choice between Bell and Antonio Brown, I'd take Brown.

He is one of the three most talented WR in the game today. Can you imagine having him on one side, TY on the other, and Ebron running free down the slot? With that type of receiver corp, along with the revamped O-line, Mack and the boys would be running against nickel packages all day long and the Colts offense would be at the top of the league alongside the Chiefs.

And I don't buy into either Brown or Bell being an issue in that locker room. The issues there are Rape-lissburger and Tomlin.

Brown is 30 years old and scheduled to make roughly $20M per year for the next three years. So there's that.

Also, to me, given his recent history with the Steelers, he's more of a potential disruptive influence on team culture - though admittedly none of us know the full story on that stuff at the moment (this morning I read that his outbursts may have been triggered by JuJu Smith-Schuster getting voted team MVP - if so, wow, no thanks).

Lastly, while the dream pairings like you mention (Hilton, Brown, Ebron) always sound great in theory, they ever seem to work out like that in the real world for some reason.

and its not even a hold out. a hold out is not showing up to honor your contract. he made a decision not to sign the franchise tag, so technically he doesnt have a contract.

It's akin to signing a non-compete agreement where, if you leave your current position, you can't sign with a competitor for a certain length of time. I don't see Bell's refusal to sign the tag as a problem.

I see his prior suspensions and his desired contract as the problem.

AB on the other hand clearly is not a good fit for this locker room. Even if he was provoked by Tomlin, or Roethlisberger, his response is his choice.

He will never recover the 14 to 15 million that he would have been paid this year. He's a dumbass to think otherwise.

That is no accurate, that is the steelers cap hit, his salary what a team trading for him would pay is about 12 mill a year, very cheap for a top WR.

That is the kicker and why I don't want him at any price, certainly not at the cost of some decent draft picks.

As far as Bell vs Brown that is easy. We have enough money that if we make a mistake we can recover. We don't have enough draft resources to recover if we make a mistake (at least not as easily). Bell costs only money. Brown would cost draft resources. No to Brown. Maybe to Bell.

You're correct - thanks for the clarification Butter

I would not be upset or say it is wrong to sign Bell. He would certainly be an upgrade for the RB position.

I just think their are bigger needs on the team

And I would not give him much guaranteed money beyond two years. RBs fall off quickly in this league

I agree totally with one caveat. I think he is the biggest addition you could make, right now, thru free agency. Bigger needs? Hell yes. If a rush lineman becomes available, throw the money there. But if not, that money sitting in Irsay's vault won't sack one qb or catch one td. Spend it.

A year off can do a lot for an NFL player. Especially a running back.

As for Brown, he would likely cost a 1st round pick. That seems to be the price this year. So no to that. Also lots of negative comments and articles about his behavior and attitude. He called Ryan Clark a racial name apparently after his comments as a reporter on ESPN. I would not want him in my locker room. Great on the field, every where else sounds like a headache.

I doubt he would want to come here though. He would be second to TY. Sounds like he needs to be the man.

Brown sounds like a perfect fit for Dallas or Cincinnati.

Brown should go to the Browns, just because dad jokes..... Bell should go to the Bengals, as that would keep them from cutting Dalton for 2-3 more years.