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Ravens' Updated Depth Chart After Reported Le'Veon Bell Contract
September 8, 2021
The Baltimore Ravens are turning to a longtime rival to fix their backfield.
Following season-ending injuries to tailbacks Justice Hill and J.K. Dobbins, the Ravens signed former Pittsburgh Steelers star Le'Veon Bell, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The veteran will initially be assigned to the practice squad and is likely to join the 53-man roster soon.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Here's a look at how Bell fits in with the Ravens offense once he's added to the game-day roster.
Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart
QB: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley
RB: Gus Edwards, Ty'Son Williams, Le'Veon Bell
WR: Marquise Brown, James Proche II, Miles Boykin
WR: Sammy Watkins, Tylan Wallace
WR: Devin Duvernay, Rashod Bateman
TE: Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle, Eric Tomlinson
FB: Patrick Ricard
LT: Ronnie Stanley, Patrick Mekari, Tyre Phillips
LG: Tyre Phillips, Ben Powers, Ben Cleveland
C: Bradley Bozeman, Trystan Colon
RG: Kevin Zeitler, Patrick Mekari
RT: Alejandro Villanueva, Tyre Phillips, Patrick Mekari
Bell will have some familiar faces awaiting his arrival in Baltimore to help with the transition. Right tackle Alejandro Villanueva spent four years with Bell in Pittsburgh, including the tailback's All-Pro seasons in 2014 and 2017.
He'll also reunite with wideout Sammy Watkins, with whom he shared a huddle in Kansas City during the 2020 season, though that wasn't the best of Bell's campaigns.
In 11 games last year with the Chiefs and New York Jets, Bell rushed for 328 yards on 82 carries with just two touchdowns. He also added another 16 catches for 138 yards but didn't reach the end zone. Bell hasn't gone past the 1,000-yard mark in any season since 2017, when he finished with 1,291 yards on a league-high 321 carries.
The following year saw Bell miss the entire season because of a contract dispute.
He'll try to rediscover his rhythm with Pittsburgh's biggest rival and help steady a Baltimore run game that looks drastically different heading into Week 1 than it did at the start of training camp.