AP

The Cardinals signed Rashard Mendenhall as a free agent this week to close a hole at running back that opened when they released Beanie Wells.

Mendenhall’s departure left the Steelers with an opening of their own in the backfield. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Steelers started looking into options to fill their opening by bringing Wells in for a physical this week.

Wells’ knees have given him plenty of problems and there were reports out of Arizona that the Cardinals thought his right knee would continue to be troublesome in the future. We don’t know what the doctors in Pittsburgh found during their examination, but Wells hasn’t signed with the team so there could be concerns on the Steelers part as well.

Or they could just be waiting to see who else might become an option for them at running back as free agency progresses while keeping Wells in their back pocket until the time comes for them to revisit that option.