Steelers focusing on slow starts, not Bell’s possible return

If Le’Veon Bell is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers later this month, he hasn’t let his teammates and coaches know.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he hasn’t heard from the All-Pro running back, who told ESPN on Monday that he will end his standoff with the team around Pittsburgh’s bye week, which begins after the Steelers face the Bengals on Oct. 14.

“I have not talked to Le’Veon and I really have no Le’Veon update,” Tomlin said. “It’s the best approach for us to focus on the guys which are here and working ... we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Nothing has changed in that regard.”

Bell is in the midst of an extended absence as an act of self-preservation when he and the Steelers could not reach a long-term agreement after Pittsburgh placed the franchise tag on him in the spring.

Technically he is not holding out because he has yet to sign his one-year deal, a decision that is costing him more than $850,000 a week. Bell did not offer a specific date for his return, but if he comes in around Oct. 15 it would give him two weeks to show the coaching staff what he can do before the Steelers play Cleveland on Oct. 28.

The two-time defending AFC North champions have slumped during Bell’s self-imposed sabbatical. Pittsburgh is 1-2-1 a quarter of the way through the season thanks in large part to sluggish starts that have forced them to play from behind and abandon the running game. The Steelers ran for 19 yards on 11 carries in a loss to Baltimore on Sunday night.

Several of Bell’s teammates — particularly the offensive line — expressed frustration in early September when Bell opted not to rejoin the team in time for the opener, as he did in 2017. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hopes Bell gives Pittsburgh a much-needed jolt, but isn’t exactly expecting Bell to show up and save the day, whenever that day actually arrives.

“If (Bell) can come back and help us and be ready to go, then we’ll be ready to welcome him back,” Roethlisberger said on his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan. “A lot of things were said earlier in the year, but that’s kind of in the past and we’ve moved on, and hopefully he’s moving on in the sense of getting back and ready to be with us.”

Bell’s actual physical readiness is unknown. During the summer of 2017 he flooded his social media accounts with video of draining workouts. He was merely OK in his first 2017 appearance but quickly took off after that, eventually leading the NFL in touches and piling up 1,946 total yards.

Concerns over his usage rate in 2018 perhaps hurting his value on the open market in 2019 played a role in Bell’s unprecedented move to remain away while the Steelers got off to their worst start since they dropped the first four games in 2013, his rookie season.

That was also the last year Pittsburgh missed the playoffs. Though it’s still too early to panic, the way the Steelers have been losing has drawn major red flags for Tomlin. The defense is 30th in the league in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed and the offense can’t seem to get it going before finding itself in a hole. Pittsburgh has been outscored 42-6 in the first quarter this season.

“We’ve got to get out of the gate quicker,” Tomlin said. “You can’t spot people points in the National Football League. We’ve got to do a better job of starting game on both sides of the ball.”

NFL suspends Seahawks LB Mychal Kendricks indefinitely

The NFL suspended Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks indefinitely on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty last month to federal insider trading charges.

Kendricks was suspended under the personal-conduct policy, said league spokesman Brian McCarthy.

A suspension had been anticipated since his guilty plea in early September.

Seattle signed Kendricks prior to Week 2 because of a need at linebacker with K.J. Wright out following knee surgery. It was a controversial signing since Kendricks had pleaded guilty in federal court only days earlier.

Kendricks has started two of the three games he’s played with Seattle and played a significant amount of snaps at weakside linebacker for the Seahawks. He had six total tackles and a sack in each of the past two games.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll had been given advance word from the league each week about Kendricks’ availability but he hinted Monday this could be the week something may happen, saying, “Tomorrow’s a big day for that.”

“I think he’s really good. We’ll miss him if he doesn’t get to play with us but while we have him, we’re going to continue to work him.”

Federal prosecutors said Kendricks used tips from an acquaintance to make about $1.2 million in illegal profits on four major trading deals. Prosecutors said his co-defendant, Damilare Sonoiki, was paid $10,000 in kickbacks in the scheme from 2014-2015, as well as receiving perks such as tickets to Eagles games and tagging along to a music video shoot or nightclub appearances.

Kendricks is not expected to be sentenced until January.

The loss of Kendricks leaves Seattle with questions at that linebacker spot. Wright is still not fully back from his knee surgery in late August, although there is an outside chance he could be ready this week. Seattle also used Austin Calitro and rookie Shaquem Griffin at the position earlier in the season.

Dolphins DT Phillips released after angry sideline outburst

The Miami Dolphins released defensive tackle Jordan Phillips on Tuesday in the wake of his angry sideline outburst after he came out of a lopsided loss at New England.

“Free at last free at last,” Phillips wrote in an Instagram post that was later deleted. “Good luck to my brothers on the team. I’ll miss ya’ll, but I couldn’t be happier to be out of there. ... Sometimes you got to put your future in your own hands and live with it.”

Phillips and the rest of Miami’s front four were dominated in Sunday’s 38-7 loss to the Patriots, who rushed for 175 yards.

Phillips said his flare-up during the game didn’t play a role in his release.

“Just here to squash this sideline outburst stuff.... this move had nothing to do with that,” he tweeted.

The Dolphins (3-1) had the day off and didn’t discuss the reason for the move. On Monday, coach Adam Gase defended defensive line coach Kris Kocurek’s substitution pattern.

The Dolphins also placed center Daniel Kilgore on injured reserve with a triceps injury. They signed center Wesley Johnson and promoted defensive end Cameron Malveaux to the active roster from the practice squad.

Johnson, who becomes Miami’s backup center behind Travis Swanson, made 24 starts for the New York Jets in 2015-17 and was with the Detroit Lions during training camp this year. Malveaux played in four games as a rookie last year.

Phillips was a second-round draft pick in 2015 who has 26 starts and developed a reputation as an inconsistent underachiever. He came off the bench this season as part of the defensive line rotation, and had one sack and five tackles.

Gase has spoken often about his desire to improve the team’s culture following a 6-10 season in 2017.