Miami Dolphins do not land Le’Veon Bell. But the chase says a lot about the team
The Le’Veon Bell chase didn’t go the way many Miami Dolphins fans wanted because the running back ultimately did not choose to play for the team a short drive from his Hollywood home in Broward County.
Bell reportedly picked the Kansas City Chiefs, a source confirmed Thursday evening.
But despite this Dolphins swing for the fences that didn’t quite connect, we learned things about coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier’s administration.
The Dolphins, you see, bought themselves a ticket to the Bell derby and ran a strong race along with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.
And the mere fact the Dolphins engaged in this is fascinating. Because that singular fact speaks volumes.
It says ...
The Dolphins see themselves as contenders for something this year.
The Kansas City pitch rang true for Bell because he was convinced they are Super Bowl contenders -- a case easily made by the defending Super Bowl champions.
That case is less believable but still easy to make if you’re Bills coach Sean McDermott, because his team is leading the AFC East and a popular pick to displace the New England Patriots as the division’s dominant team.
But the Dolphins?
They had to convince Bell they’re building something special and they see their immediate future including a chance at a playoff berth this season.
So you’re probably reading that and thinking that’s some wishful thinking. And it is. But that’s not the point.
The point is the Dolphins had to believe it enough to make the case to Bell and his representatives.
So we have a clue where the Dolphins privately think they are in their development in Flores’s second year.
But that’s not all the Dolphins are telling us with this exercise.
They’re telling everyone that they’re smarter than other teams. And are willing to take on risk to prove the point.
How?
Well, the Bell addition sounds great in the abstract. After all, how can one not like a dynamic player who is a threat in both the run and passing game?
But there are holes in that thinking.
Because Bell hasn’t been that guy since he last played in Pittsburgh in 2017. Remember, he sat out the 2018 season in a contract dispute. And since he joined the Jets in 2019, he hasn’t produced at the same level.
Bell averaged 129 yards from scrimmage during his days with the Steelers. That dipped to 80 with the Jets.
He had 18 games over 100-yards rushing with the Steelers. None with the Jets. Bell actually never got over 87 rushing yards in a single game with the Jets.
So the question is which player is his next team getting?
Steelers All-Pro Le’Veon Bell?
Or Jets washout Le’Veon Bell?
The three teams most interested in signing him obviously believed they had the right answer. And that tells us more things about the Dolphins.
Since Grier hired Flores in February of 2019, the direction of the organization has changed in that the Dolphins are willing to take on more risk than before. Perhaps it’s because Flores believes he can manage players with blemished backgrounds. Perhaps it’s something else.
But the Dolphins, so risk averse under Adam Gase and Joe Philbin, are truly out there under Flores.
So when Mark Walton was released from the Cincinnati Bengals for domestic battery issues, the Dolphins brought him into their organization.
When Antonio Callaway was on the street earlier this fall because Cleveland released him after an NFL drug suspension and because of his chronic tardiness, the Dolphins brought him into their organization.
And when the Dallas Cowboys gave up on Taco Charlton because they didn’t see effort out of him when things got difficult, the Dolphins brought him into their organization.
When the Arizona Cardinals wanted to move on from Josh Rosen because they didn’t see a franchise quarterback in his makeup, the Dolphins traded for him.
And when the Cardinals cut Robert Nkemdiche because he was more trouble than his considerable talent was worth, the Dolphins brought him into their organization.
The Dolphins obviously believe they can go through other teams’ trash cans and recycle the discards.
Except, well, it hasn’t worked yet. Not once.
The Dolphins have not known better than other teams yet. But they continue to believe they do. They have the confidence to continue trying.
And guess what? Bell is every bit a risk as some of the others.
No, he hasn’t hit anyone or been suspended (lately). And his resume is much more impressive than any of those other guys mentioned earlier. But more than one team has felt itself better without than with him.
The Steelers felt this way long ago, which is the reason during his 2018 holdout, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin famously said, “We need volunteers, not hostages.” The Steelers, by the way, quickly let it be known they were not interested in a Bell reunion.
The Jets, meanwhile, dumped Bell after trying vainly to trade him, something he made clear he wanted beforehand when he “liked” Twitter posts suggesting the transaction earlier this week.
No one wanted to take on his $52 million contract. So the Jets absorbed significant financial pain from that toxic deal to be rid of Bell.
And I know what you’re thinking: Jets coach Adam Gase hated Bell but what does he know?
Well, Gase definitely has his flaws. But he knew enough to steer the Dolphins away from Rosen in the 2018 draft, one year before Grier and Flores traded a second- and fifth-round pick for him.
This week, Gase wanted nothing more to do with Bell. And days later Grier and Flores wanted the running back in Miami’s backfield.
No, the chase of Le’Veon Bell doesn’t end with a Dolphins signing. But the chase was amazing.
Because it told us a lot about the Dolphins.
