AP

The Steelers gave running back Le’Veon Bell 33 carries against the Titans last Monday night, a decision that LeGarrette Blount found distasteful enough that he left the team’s bench before the game was over.

That early exit led to Blount’s permanent exit from the team on Tuesday, which means that Bell’s next heavy workload will be less a matter of choice than one of necessity. Rookies Dri Archer and Josh Harris, who was promoted from the practice squad after Blount’s departure, are the backups for Bell and offensive coordinator Todd Haley said that the team would be riding Bell hard in the near future.

“We will take all he can give. We will give all he can take,” Haley said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We had kind of already made the decision to go with Le’Veon, as you could see in the game, from the situational aspect, goal line, short yarder and some of those. We had already made the decision that he was going to be the guy.”

Bell’s workload was already on the heavy side — his 252 touches are second to DeMarco Murray among running backs — and the tailback said that he didn’t feel overly fatigued as the game against the Titans went on, so there doesn’t seem to be much beyond an injury standing in the way of heavy doses for Bell the rest of the may. Given the depth chart behind him, the Steelers would surely prefer that injury doesn’t strike.