Mike Tomlin would obviously like to have Le'Veon Bell signed and ready to go for the start of next month's training camp. With that being said, Tomlin is still confident that things will work out for Bell and the Steelers moving forward.

Speaking with Steelers' fans earlier this month, Tomlin addressed Bell's current contract situation. The Steelers have until July 16 to come to terms with Bell on a longterm contract.

“We’re looking forward to a big season with Le’Veon," said Tomlin, who has coached Bell since the 2013 season. "The negotiation process is running its course. It’s not negotiated every day, and I think that’s probably a point that needs to be made. We’re comfortable with getting back together. I think all sides have agreed that at some point in the summer that there will be a reconnection and a continuation with talks. Le'Veon's been a good player for us. I think he’s expressed a desire to be with us longterm. We’ve expressed a desire to sign him. So now it’s just the business end of it.

"One thing that kind of makes me through it all is that I have a great deal of confidence with Le’Veon’s overall readiness. His level of condition is always excellent. He’s highly conditioned over a 12-month calendar, so I’m comfortable there. Obviously, I’d like to have him here working alongside his teammates. We don’t always get what we want. Sometimes there’s a business element of this.

"We’ll push through that as quickly as we can and get ready to go win a world championship in 2018, and I know that Le’Veon is excited to be a part of that.”

True to Tomlin's words, Bell has been working on his conditioning thorough the summer. Bell recently described his offseason workout regiment with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"I try to find ways to be healthier," said Bell, who earned All-Pro hours after amassing 1,944 all-purpose yards last season despite skipping training camp. "I want my body to be in great shape so as the season comes closer you'll start seeing that form to take shape. [Boxing] is just to help with my cardio and my stamina. It's a little different than football, and I try to stay off my joints in the offseason as much as possible, still get cardio. Instead of cutting and doing a lot of drills, I've been doing a lot of boxing training."

Pittsburgh's second round pick in 2013, Bell shed 15-20 pounds after his rookie season. The result was Bell amassing 2,215 all-purpose yards in 2014 while earning his first All-Pro selection. Bell, who trains year round, is now regarded as the most versatile running back in the NFL.

"I want to see a better me," said Bell, who was not addressing his contract situation. "That's why I've been training for, the way I'm carrying myself on and off the field. I think it will be a good year for me."

While he isn't practicing with the Steelers, Bell's teammates are confident that he will be ready to roll when Pittsburgh kicks off the 2018 regular season against the Browns.

“Even though the first couple of games (last season) were a struggle he showed signs of turning it on real fast,” offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert told Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He‘s capable of doing so. Hopefully this year is different than last year.”

While other players may suffer from not being in camp, Gilbert believes that Bell is the rare athlete that won't be effected by training on his own.

“There’s being in shape, and there’s being in football shape," he said. "He’s not taking many hits in preseason any way. It’s being in sync with the guys. He’s one of those rare players that can do it. He has to do what he has to do. He has a family.”

Fellow offensive lineman Ramon Foster believes that, while Bell is obviously an important piece of Pittsburgh's puzzle, it's up to Foster and the rest of his teammates to raise their collective games regardless of how well Bell performs out of the gate. The Steelers, for their credit, have positioned themselves well in the backfield if Bell struggles to get rolling. Along with James Conner, the team re-signed veteran back Stevan Ridley, who averaged 4.2 yards per carry after signing with the Steelers late in the 2017 season. Pittsburgh also drafted Jaylen Samuels, a versatile back who scored 47 total touchdowns during his time at North Carolina State.

“Reflecting on what transpired last year — and we did play against some good defenses early in the year, I will say — but I think we have to know we have to bring it a little more than them,” Foster said. “As great as Le’Veon is, we have to supplement what he does also. We have to make his job a lot easier. The fact that he’s not here, all of us are OK with that because we know what he’s bringing to the table. He comes right every year. He might take time to get going, but we have to be better prepared for that.”

While the Steelers have other options, and while everyone on the team needs to bring their best foot forward, the bottom line is that Pittsburgh needs a quality Le'Veon Bell if the team is going to get to their desired destination in 2018. Arguably the best back in football, Steeler Nation should expect to see a determined Bell will be out to prove that he is worth every penny of the contract he is requesting.