We already knew that the Steelers were waiting for a second opinion on running back Le’Veon Bell’s injured right foot before determining how long of “a while” he’d be out of the lineup.
Now a pair of reports shed some light on what’s worrying the Steelers. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network both report that the Steelers believe Bell has suffered a Lisfranc injury, which could mean a lengthy stay on the sideline while he recovers.
Glazer reports that Steelers are hopeful that Bell will be able to avoid surgery, although they won’t have any confirmation of that until after they get the second opinion. Tight end Matt Spaeth needed surgery on his own Lisfranc injury and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks, although earlier reports say the injury wasn’t as severe as the one Spaeth suffered. Rapoport reports the same in regard to surgery and adds that the Steelers are “pretty frustrated.”
You’d expect as much since the Steelers went through one injury after another in their backfield last season, to say nothing of the fact that players drafted in the second round are expected to play major roles for their teams and it is looking increasingly likely that Bell will be barred from doing that for the immediate future.
