Le'Veon Bell Activated by Steelers After Suspension: Latest Comments, Reaction

The Pittsburgh Steelers released running back Daryl Richardson on Thursday, paving their way to reactivate starter Le'Veon Bell following his three-game suspension.

The NFL originally suspended Bell for the first four games of 2016 for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. The league later reduced the suspension to three games after the violation was revealed to be due to a miscommunication regarding a test rather than a failure.

"I already apologized to my teammates, my coaches and Steeler Nation," Bell told reporters in August. "I'm sincerely sorry about everything I put everybody through. It's been frustrating, and I own up to everything. It's all my fault, and I can't blame nobody else for that."

Bell, 24, was limited to six games last season by a combination of injuries and a two-game suspension. He missed the final eight games after suffering a torn MCL and PCL against the Cincinnati Bengals, finishing with 556 yards and three touchdowns.

One of the NFL's most versatile backs, Bell recorded more than 2,000 total yards during a breakout 2014 campaign. He earned his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl berths while being named the AFC's Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

The Steelers have deployed veteran DeAngelo Williams in Bell's stead to great success. He was leading the NFL in rushing through two weeks before receiving only eight carries in last week's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

"There is no mindset change," Williams told Ben Baskin of Sports Illustrated. "I go in and work my ass off to be productive always. I was working just like I would be if I was the starting tailback, so nothing changed for me. When my number is called, nobody cares if I am a starter or not. They just care if I make plays or if I’m productive."

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger opened up the possibility that Bell and Williams could share the field.

"Listen, we're not going to put [Bell] at wide receiver and DeAngelo at running back," Roethlisberger said, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. "But we will have them both on the field and move them out of the backfield. We're not going to take RB off the front of [Bell's] name and put WR. But I definitely think he is one of our best receivers."

Bell's effectiveness and readiness for action will be the questions. If Bell is operating at his peak, Williams will see the field for perhaps a handful of carries per game. There's no more complete back in the NFL when healthy, but Bell is 11 months removed from playing in an NFL regular-season game.

He's also coming off a major knee injury and just spent the last three weeks away from team facilities, so the Steelers may be smart to ease him in.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.