Le'Veon Bell a no-show as Steelers prepare for regular-season opener

Although the team expected Bell to skip training camp after he didn't get the long-term contract he wanted in July, the Steelers were blindsided when Bell made a decision to skip the team's first practice of Week 1 on Monday.

This offseason, Bell again received the franchise tag from the Steelers, and once again he skipped all of the offseason program, training camp, and the four preseason games.

"I hadn't thought about it", Tomlin said at his weekly press conference. But if Bell doesn't return soon, it's good a few Steelers players believe their team will be fine. "Whenever he gets here we'll celebrate with him".

"He'll be here Wednesday", Pouncey said Monday, via NFL Network. Their teammates, especially if the player is high profile, will be asked about the player's contract and when they believe the player will report. The Steelers and Bell have been unable to reach a long-term deal for the second consecutive season.

Jones had spent the past five seasons on the roster, including three as Ben Roethlisberger's backup, before being let go Saturday. While the team would love to have Bell in tow, some Steelers players are confident they will be fine without him.

"My focus is on this team and who is here", Heyward said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"Do you feel more comfortable with what you have behind Le'Veon going into Cleveland than you did previous year?"

Tomlin said he hasn't communicated with his star running back this week, and he was vague on expectations for Bell's arrival. It won't be a distraction. The offensive line should provide better pass protection for quarterback Andy Dalton, and there's no reason to think Brown won't have another solid year after he tied for the league lead in tackles (144) last season. I just think where we want to get to, the goals we have in mind, that stuff will be under the rug.

"[He's gone from] being a rookie that missed a lot of time due to soft tissue injuries and lack of general readiness, to a guy that's done the things that we've outlined several minutes in here", Tomlin said.