As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to go into their third game of the NFL regular season, they are doing it once again without running back Le’Veon Bell. It’s is becoming clear that Bell is going to sit out for an extensive chunk of the season as he protects himself from injury or wear prior to hitting free agency. And it seems the team has finally acknowledged this as well.

An update on the official site shows that Bell has been taken off of the roster completely. This comes after Pittsburgh dumped Bell from the depth chart ahead of last week’s game.

At this point, you have to wonder just how damaged the relationship between Bell and the Steelers is. Bell has sat back and watched this team struggle the first two weeks and rather than reaching out to his teammates, he’s spent his downtime partying in Miami.

At some point, Bell is going to come to Pittsburgh. He’s going to sign his franchise tag – what’s left of it, anyway – and expect to be the starting running back so he can showcase himself for next season.

Is this franchise really going to just welcome him with open arms, especially if the playoffs are out of reach? Would the team really placate this petulant child and his demands? If I were the Steelers, the next thing I would do is sign a free agent running back or defensive back to the practice squad and immediately issue him a No. 26 jersey.