Le’Veon Bell rumor indicates RB had massive weight gain while holding out on contract

NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell’s agility is a big part of what makes him so great. He has the quickness to literally stop on a dime in the backfield — waiting for holes to open up — then he can turn on the jets and burst through a hole.

Few other running backs — if any — have the agility and speed to do what Bell can do. At 225 pounds, which was his playing weight in 2017, he has the perfect blend of speed and power, allowing him to create big plays in the open field, but also break tackles running inside in the trenches.

But he may not be 225 pounds anymore — in fact, he may be a lot more.

A report from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News states that “word on the street” is that Bell ballooned up to 260 pounds while holding out on his contract last season.

This actually isn’t a huge surprise. Bell didn’t appear to be working out all that much, and he was spotted at a number of night clubs and strip clubs in South Beach. And look at NFL players during the offseason. Some of them work out throughout the year, and remain in shape. The ones that don’t tend to put on a few pounds, which they then work off during training camp. Bell sat out for an entire year, an extremely long stretch to be away from football.

It will be interesting to see if this affects Bell’s free agency value, as teams will meet with him, and they’ll see what type of shape he’s in.

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