If Le'Veon Bell is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers

later this month Mike Wagner Jersey , 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 Mark Barron Jersey , 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," Tomin 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."NOTES: The Steelers placed CB Nat Berhe on injured reserve with a torn pectoral and promoted CB Brian Davis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. ... WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (ankle) and ILB Vince Williams (hamstring) will be monitored this week and could play against Atlanta. ... CB Mike Hilton (right elbow) and S Morgan Burnett (groin), both of whom did not play against Baltimore, may be available to face the Falcons.Snap totals for the Steelers in Week 1 show rookies could have significant role in 2018 There used to be a time when a rookie drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially on defense, knew they would essentially have a red-shirt year where all they would do is contribute on special teams. After all, unless your name was Ben Roethlisberger, you knew you would have to wait your turn. Some of the greatest players of the modern era to wear the black-and-gold had to wait. Troy Polamalu, James Harrison Bud Dupree Jersey , Hines Ward, Brett Keisel...all had to pay their dues before getting their shot. After the Steelers’ Week 1 tie with the Cleveland Browns, I wanted to take a look at the snap counts to get a feel for how the coaching staff was utilizing the rookies on the team. In recent years, rookies have been infused into the lineup more than ever under Mike Tomlin, and this year was no different. The big name of the group was Terrell Edmunds. The first round safety didn’t just start the game at Strong Safety, but logged 74 of 89 defensive snaps. This total was second only to Sean Davis who played in all 89 plays. Edmunds’ totals compared to other safeties were as follows:Sean Davis — 89Terrell Edmunds — 74Morgan Burnett — 40Jordan Dangerfield — 0Whether you believe Edmunds is ready for this heavy of a workload or not, the Steelers’ coaching staff trusted him enough to be the starter in the deep half of the secondary. Edmunds wasn’t the only rookie who saw the field in Week 1. Chukwuma Okorafor, the third round offensive tackle out of Western Michigan, was used as the swing tackle, as well as the extra tackle/tight end in ‘Jumbo’ packages to help run the football. ‘Chuks’ played in 17 offensive snaps, out of a possible 84. Fellow rookie James Washington, second round wide receiver out of Oklahoma State, saw the field the least amount of the three Javon Hargrave Jersey , notching just 11 snaps, with zero targets or receptions, to his young NFL resume. Fans of Washington were disappointed with the lack of his playing time, compared to that of Justin Hunter, who registered 51 offensive snaps on the day, but should be reminded how Washington is likely following the JuJu Smith-Schuster plan. Last year Smith-Schuster didn’t start to see significant reps early in the season either. Rather, they eased him into the role. I can only imagine the team is following suit in this regard.Either way, this trio of rookies are doing work in one way or another this season, and all will be called upon to fill a role at one point or another. The hope is Edmunds continues to solidify his starting role with the team, but Okorafor playing significant snaps means an injury to a starter, so filling his role as a backup is just fine for his rookie season. I think we all can envision a time when Washington outshines Hunter and earns his spot within the offense. Check out the full Snap Totals below, or by clicking HERE: