What's Next for Steelers Offense After Le'Veon Bell's Knee Injury?

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 27-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night was great. It assured them the No. 3 seed in the playoffs and a home game next Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

However, the win was tainted by what looked like a significant knee injury to star running back Le’Veon Bell, which puts his availability for next week and the foreseeable future in question.

The exact extent of Bell's injury isn't clear, but according to Bob Labriola of Steelers.com, head coach Mike Tomlin is reporting things could be worse:

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Tomlin says Bell's knee injury is a hyperextension, but there is no structural damage.

— Bob Labriola (@BobLabriola) December 29, 2014"

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With only a short week before the Steelers have to square off against a longtime division rival, Bell’s injury looms large over this team.

The Football Database indicates Bell finished the season second in the league in yards of offense with 2,215. His ability to impact both the rushing and passing games has been invaluable to this team’s success.

So, having said all that and knowing there are only a few days of practice before the next game, what do you do if you are the Pittsburgh coaches? There are really only three choices.

Dance with the Date that Brought You

The reality is, with so little time until the next game, the most prudent plan might be no plan at all. Pittsburgh has rookies Josh Harris and Dri Archer on the roster now, and both are familiar with the offense.

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With an offense built around quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, offensive coordinator Todd Haley has more than enough weapons at his disposal to continue to move the football sans Bell. No one is going to mistake Harris or Archer for starting NFL running backs, but both have particular skill sets that can help this team.

According to NFL.com, Archer came into the league as the fastest player in his rookie class. Even on Sunday, you saw a little bit of what Archer can do as he ran a nice wheel route, snatched the pass out of the air and raced up the sidelines for a 15-yard gain.

He isn’t going to win many battles in the trenches and struggles in pass protection, but he could be very strong in situational football.

This would mean the bulk of the carries would fall on Harris. Harris never impressed me at Wake Forest due to a lack of strength to his game. He looks like he’d be a low-to-the-ground, power runner with breakaway speed.

Unfortunately, he plays weaker than his build and doesn’t show enough patience or vision for the type of run plays Haley calls for Bell.

Nevertheless, everyone should look for Harris to get plenty of chances this week to win the starting spot.

Go with Someone They Know

Don’t be at all surprised if the Steelers reach out to former Steelers LaRod Stephens-Howling or Felix Jones. Both free agents are young and know the offense.

These situations are far from ideal, as neither back is terribly talented.

Nevertheless, when you're working with a very short timetable, the quicker a player can get up to speed, the better off the team is.

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If Pittsburgh had to sign one, Jones would likely make the most sense. He has the most starting experience, has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over his career and is strong in the passing game as well.

Along similar lines, the Steelers also have running back LaDarius Perkins sitting on the practice squad, and he could get a bump. Perkins had 2,554 rushing yards and 714 receiving yards in his four seasons at Mississippi State.

He is another quick, multidimensional back who seems to fit what the Steelers do on offense fairly well.

Bring in a Veteran

There’s always a chance that the Steelers could bring in a more established, veteran running back to work into a running back rotation.

This is clearly the long shot of the three for one key reason: There’d be very little time to get them integrated into the offense.

However, odds are the veteran back would be more talented than any of those listed already, so if the Steelers are looking at several playoff games without Bell, this approach would make sense.

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The two guys who come to mind immediately? BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Ray Rice. Both are backs with extensive starting experience, proven NFL production and experience in the AFC North.

Signing Rice would be even more interesting, as the Steelers are set to host the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. There’s little doubt Rice can play, but is he worth a short-term rental at this point? Could the Steelers fanbase stand having Rice in a Steelers uniform? Ken Laird of TribLIVE Radio summed it up best:

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I wouldn't be for signing Ray Rice under any circumstance... except that it's now Ravens week and therefore I'm all for it

— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) December 29, 2014"

As for Green-Ellis, he has had two 1,000-yard seasons and his experience with Cincinnati would be helpful not only against the Ravens, but also should the Steelers see the Bengals again.

Everyone will know more about Bell’s status for Sunday in the next 24 hours. This gives the Steelers' front office 24 hours to decide which of these three routes it wants to take. Can this team get to the Super Bowl without Bell? No doubt it can.

But it’d be a whole lot easier with No. 26 in the backfield.