Le'Veon Bell Injury Opens Up Running Back Job for Pittsburgh Steelers

According to NFL.com, the Pittsburgh Steelers believe rookie running back Le'Veon Bell may have suffered a Lisfranc injury. Attention now turns to the Steelers running back situation.

Bell was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft with the intention of being the workhorse back this team has lacked.

His impressive blend of size and speed made him an easy pick for the Steelers front office with the 48th overall selection. If it is true that Bell's injury is a Lisfranc, his season will be over and the Steelers will be back to the drawing board, so to speak, to figure out their starting running back.

The most logical candidate would seem to be veteran Jonathan Dwyer.

Dwyer is four years younger than fellow running back Isaac Redman. He's also more talented than the other backs on the roster, including LaRod Stephens-Howling and Baron Batch.

Not to mention he's a fan favorite and works hard every time he's on the field.

Dwyer finished the 2012 season with 623 yards on 156 carries. Nothing to get overly-excited about, but as the saying goes, "beggars can't be choosers."

This team went all in on Bell, and if he's gone for the year, the situation could be dire.

If the Steelers have only the current roster to draw from, Dwyer is likely their safest option.

I would offer a different possible solution. Cuts will have to come, not just for the Steelers, but for all 32 NFL franchises.

There are some very talented young backs who will almost certainly be on the free agent market by no fault of their own. If I am the Steelers, I at least entertain the possibility that if Bell cannot play this year, the back to lead this team may not even be on the roster at this time.

Look for a full breakdown of possible free agents as more information becomes available.

But for now, thoughts are with Bell for a full and speedy recovery. The Steelers twice dealt with this last year as offensive lineman David DeCastro and linebacker Sean Spence, both rookies at the time, went down with significant injuries before they ever had a chance to show what they can do.

You can go to Kyle Vassalo's Bleacher Report article for future updates on Le'Veon Bell's injury.