Le'Veon Bell Rumors: Star RB Absent for Steelers' Team Meeting Ahead of Week 1

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell was reportedly not present for a team meeting Wednesday morning ahead of their Week 1 clash with the Cleveland Browns.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed Bell was not in the building, while his colleague Aditi Kinkhabwala spoke to one of Bell's teammates about his absence:

Bell held out during training camp and the preseason after he and the Steelers were unable to agree to a long-term contract extension.

When he reports, Bell will play under the franchise tag for the second consecutive season.

Bell's failure to report came after Rapoport appeared on NFL Network on Tuesday and said the expectation within the organization was that Bell would be present Wednesday:

Rapoport said Bell's "teammates believe that he is gonna be there on Wednesday," but he added there was "no guarantee" it would happen.

Bell didn't report to the team until just before the 2017 regular season started, but it didn't prevent him from putting up big numbers once again.

He was named a Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro after rushing for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns and catching 85 passes for 655 yards and two additional scores.

Although Bell came into his own as the 2017 campaign progressed, he did get off to a slow start, rushing for just 32 yards on 10 carries in a season-opening win over the Browns.

With Bell still not back in the fold, there is a chance he won't even suit up when Pittsburgh faces Cleveland on Sunday.

If that is the case, second-year man James Conner will likely start at running back, with veteran Stevan Ridley and rookie Jaylen Samuels getting some touches as well.