...Even if his teammates are confident that Bell will be here in short order and ready to participate when the Steelers open the regular season on the road on Sunday, there is also support for second-year running back James Conner, who has been working as the first-team running back all offseason, going back to the spring.
Ramon Foster, the second-longest-tenured player on the roster behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, expressed a great deal of confidence in the former Pitt star, telling Jeremy Fowler earlier today that Conner “busted his ###” this year. “When you’re ready, you’re ready”, he said. “He’s ready”.
...If for some reason Bell is not on the field for the Steelers on Sunday in Cleveland, the offense is going to be behind Conner, and they won’t hesitate to put the load on his shoulders. While he will be complemented by Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley, he would be the guy. He’s earned it. He’s ready. Just ask his teammates.