As the July 17 deadline approaches for Le'Veon Bell and Pittsburgh to reach a long-term deal -- or proceed with the franchise tag attached for 2017 -- the Steelers star is fielding strong support from a man who knows quite well what life is like for a do-everything back:
"I hope he gets the deal he deserves,"Arizona Cardinals RB David Johnson told the MMQB. "I hope it's going to be the type of deal that cornerbacks get and quarterbacks get."
Game recognize game? Indeed. Both backs eclipsed 1,200 yards rushing last season -- and they were also huge weapons in the passing game: Johnson led all running backs with 80 receptions, while Bell finished second with 75. Simply put, these are two of the most well-rounded backs in recent memory. In fact, Johnson paced the NFL in all-purpose yards (2,118) in 2016 and Bell ranked No. 3 (1,888). (The NFL's leading rusher, rookie Ezekiel Elliott, held down the two spot with 1,987 all-purpose yards.)
Bell and Johnson are Swiss Army Knives in the backfield, guys whose spectacular versatility keeps defensive coordinators up at night. And this brings one question to mind:
Who is the best all-around running back in the NFL today?
But the best all-around back is Pittsburgh's
Le'Veon Bell --
when he's healthy. He can run in between or outside the tackles, make defenders miss in the open field and is a huge weapon out of the backfield.
Yet, the kinds of routes Johnson runs -- and the agility he shows running those routes -- makes him such a formidable presence in the
Cardinals' offense. Bruce Arians gets the most out of him -- much like Bell benefits from the presence of
Ben Roethlisberger and the
Steelers' passing game, and Elliott from a top-flight offensive line.
I think Johnson is the best receiver of the three, but again, I consider a back's ability to run the football the most important characteristic of all.
As they say, sometimes a player's best ability is his availability.