Pittsburgh Steelers: Is it time to be concerned about Le’Veon Bell’s knee?

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back situation is something everyone has kept an eye on so far through training camp.

And while Steelers’ fans everywhere want to see what rookie Le’Veon Bell is made of, they haven’t gotten the opportunity yet, and  may not Monday night, thanks to a  nagging knee injury.

Jul 27, 2013; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le

After missing the preseason opener against the New York Giants thanks to the sore knee, Bell aggravated his left knee Thursday, according to coach Mike Tomlin.  Bell was hit by a teammate during a non-contact drill. It appeared that Bell thought the play was finished when he was taken down.

While the Steelers say the injury is nothing serious, you have to wonder if it is time to be concerned about whether or not the youngster will be able to hold up for a full 16-game season.

Personally, I feel that there is a cause for concern, but it is also something that it is way too early to panic about.

Even if Bell is unable to go on Monday night, I think it still says a lot about what the Steelers plans are for him during his first season. With that being said, it makes all the sense in the world to proceed with caution.

But at the same time, the door just opened up for someone else to try and take claim on the starting job for the season opener.

That guy likely won’t be Isaac Redman.

Redman and Bell were listed as co-starters on Wednesday, but were both limited in practice on Friday. Redman took a big hit from Larry Foote on Thursday and has been suffering the effects of a stinger.

The good news is that both injuries a considered mild.

The bad news is that you would like to see both guys start getting some more work in.

That allows guys like Jonathan Dwyer and Baron Batch, both likely fighting for one roster spot, to make their case to making this team. Both guys, along with LaRod Stephens-Howling should get an increased workload with the team being cautious with both Bell and Redman.

It wouldn’t shock me to see either Bell or Redman play on Monday, but I wouldn’t expect them to play much if they did.

That leaves the Steelers backfield situation still in a cluttered mess.

Unfortunately it will stay that way until Bell is deemed 100 percent healthy.