Mike Bell Signs Offer Sheet with Eagles, Will Saints Match?
Saints running back Mike Bell signed a 1 year, restricted free agent offer sheet with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints will have a week to match the offer or allow Bell to fly to Philly.
This is one of the more interesting decisions the Saints will have to make regarding their restricted free agents. Bell was second on the team with 654 rushing yards and scored 5 TDs on the ground. But it seemed like his role was reduced late in the season, particularly in the playoffs.
The team appears to see young back Lynell Hamilton as a player who could fill Bell’s role of short yardage back. And the performance that Pierre Thomas put forth in the playoffs leaves no doubt of who is at the top of the depth chart. The word that Reggie Bush will also be back in the fold in 2010 may be yet another sign that the Saints might be willing to let Bell go. Bell may be thought of as expendable, even if the Saints can easily afford to match the Eagles’ $1.7 million offer sheet.
Still, as the 2009 Saints proved, you can never have too much depth at the running back position. The league as a whole has shifted to the running back by committee approach, rather than have that one workhorse back who is going to carry the ball 25 times per game.
If the Saints truly believe that Hamilton can have an expanded role in the offense, then it stands to reason that Bell will be an Eagle next season.
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