Le’Veon Bell laughs at being ranked 10th-best running back by NFL personnel

Le’Veon Bell still believes he’s one of the best running backs in the league.

The moniker of “best running back in the NFL” changes every season because of age, production, team and a bevy of other reasons.

For a while, Le’Veon Bell earned that title with his dynamic playmaking ability and dual-threat scoring. But after skipping the entire 2018 season and a poor 2019 season with the Jets, Bell dropped in the minds of NFL personnel.

An ESPN poll of 50 league executives, scouts and players ranked Bell as the 10th-best running back in the league after having arguably the worst season of his career. Bell didn’t take too kindly to his rank, but simply responded on Twitter with a three-letter acronym.

From a purely statistical standpoint, Bell’s rank is high for a player who finished 24th in rushing yards and 46th in rushing yards per attempt in 2019. He combined for 1,250 total scrimmage yards and four touchdowns – some of the lowest marks of his career. Bell proved to be one of the least efficient rushers in 2019 as well, finishing 44th out of 45 qualified rushers in Football Outsiders’ Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement metric and 40th in Success Rate.

Some may attribute Bell’s poor stats to Adam Gase’s gameplan, which didn’t utilize the back’s ability as a pass-catcher enough, or the horrific offensive line which finished among the worst in multiple categories.

Another possibility could be Bell’s age and usage. Bell turned 27 before the 2019 season and is the oldest member of that top-10 list. He also touched the ball over 1,500 times during his five years in Pittsburgh before sitting out the 2018 season. That’s a lot of wear and tear for a running back.

Bell rejected that idea on Twitter, too, when someone told him he wasn’t the player he used to be.

Bell could rebound in 2020 with an upgraded offensive line, better skill position players on the outside, and another year with Gase and Sam Darnold. He certainly showed at times in 2019 to possess a lot of the skills he had earlier in his career. Either way, Bell will be fighting for his reputation – and possibly for his job – in a pivotal 2020 season.