Le’Veon Bell might be ready to head back t

The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t exactly look like they need him.The star running back tweeted “Farewell Miami” on Monday Sutton Smith Jersey 2019 , possibly indicating the end of his months-long standoff with the club. Bell hasn’t been inside the Pittsburgh locker room since last January, opting to stay away rather than sign his one-year franchise tender. The two-time All-Pro has sacrificed half of the $14.4 million he’s due this season but needs to report by Nov. 13 to make sure he accrues enough service time to reach free agency in March.Bell’s extended absence initially created a furor inside the locker room. Now, it seems almost like an afterthought. The Steelers (5-2-1) have ripped off four straight victories heading into Thursday night’s visit from Carolina (6-2), relying heavily on James Conner — Bell’s replacement — to surge into the lead in the AFC North.Conner topped 100 yards rushing for a fourth straight week during a 23-16 victory over Baltimore on Sunday, and caught his first career touchdown pass when he took a short flip from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and bulled past Baltimore safety Eric Weddle at the pylon.“He’s showing that no challenge is too big for him, against the No. 1 defense or whoever it might be,” Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said of Conner. “You know when you’re so close to him, and he lowers his shoulder, and you see him get a couple yards, it’s extremely motivating.”Conner is second in the league in all-purpose yards and touches behind Los Angeles Rams standout Todd Gurley and tied for fourth in total touchdowns. The second-year back hardly seems bothered by the heavy workload, saying he’s built for it. So does his coach.“I agree with James,” Mike Tomlin said Monday when asked about Conner’s personal assessment.Tomlin smiled as he answered, mirroring the considerably lighter mood around his team these days. The problems that plagued the Steelers during September have vanished, though Tomlin is reticent to point to any one area where his team has improved.“I’m not trying to look for specific areas, I just try to challenge these guys to get better every day,” Tomlin said. “That’s what we’re focused on. I think that if we do that daily that will give us a chance to produce consistent performances that are on the rise. Not only in the second quarter (of the season) but as we continue through this journey.”It’s a pattern that’s become well established during Tomlin’s 12 years on the job. The Steelers have been traditionally slow starters under his watch, then get it together as the days grow shorter.Pittsburgh hasn’t allowed more than 21 points during its four-game run and the secondary that was torched regularly in the opening month has settled in. Coty Sensabaugh has taken over for Artie Burns at the cornerback spot opposite Joe Haden and rookie safety Terrell Edmunds has filled in capably while veteran Morgan Burnett heals from a series of injuries that have slowed him since training camp.The Steelers aren’t exactly overwhelming opponents but considering the firepower on offense Cheap Sutton Smith Jersey , overwhelming teams isn’t required. Pittsburgh gave up at least 327 yards in each of its first four games. The Steelers haven’t surrendered more than 324 yards over their last four.“Our defense is working in the right direction,” safety Sean Davis said. “We held the Ravens to 16 points … and I feel like we’re putting together winning performances. As long as the defense continues to do that, and with our offense playing the way they’re playing, we’re just going to continue riding the roller coaster. Our trajectory is high.”Considerably higher than it appeared while getting repeatedly torched during the opening month. Yet the job is still only halfway done. The schedule remains daunting. If Bell — whenever he shows up — can return to at least some semblance of the form that made him an All-Pro last season, Pittsburgh could be a tough out. If he can’t, they like their chances anyway.“It’s still going to be a long ride,” linebacker Bud Dupree said. “It was great that we got the win to get on top of the division again. We’ve got another game against the Bengals. We just need to be sure to dominate everywhere.” I approach the tight end position in much the same way I approach drafting a quarterback.Sure, I would love to select Travis Kelce, George Kittle, or Zach Ertz, but I’m not willing to spend such an early pick to do so.I like to spend my early picks on running backs and wide receivers. This is not to say I haven’t seen what my team might look like should I draft a TE early.Mock drafts can be a valuable tool in determining your draft strategy. We know by ADP (average draft position) that Kelce is generally going in the top 8-15 picks of a draft. Kittle and Ertz about a round and a half to two rounds later.If you were to take part in several mock drafts, you can get an idea of how happy you would be with your team if you draft one of these tight ends early.The next tier of TEs is where I’m much more interested in investing in. I’ll take an O.J. Howard, Evan Engram, or Hunter Henry in rounds 5-7 in every draft. At that point, you should already have at least one starting running back and wide receiver, the building blocks have already been set. Tight end is deep, maybe not as deep as QB Jon Bostic Jersey , but you will run out of RBs and WRs much quicker than you will a TE.If you wait until double-digit rounds in your draft to select a tight end, I’m good with this strategy as well, you’re likely looking at Vance McDonald, David Njoku, Jared Cook, and Delanie Walker. Sure, each one has some question marks, but there is also upside associated with each one. McDonald could be third on the target list behind Juju Smith-Schuster and James Conner, the upside is there. Will there be enough passes to go around to make David Njoku a top TE this season? Will Jared Cook be able to develop chemistry with Drew Brees?Walker is up there in age and coming off a season-ending injury, can he still be the top target for Tennessee? How good will Eric Ebron be now that Jack Doyle is healthy and should play a full season? Not to mention, it’s unlikely he’ll have the same TD to reception rate that he had last season.As for my rankings, here we go at TE.— Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs— George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers— Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles— O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers— Evan Engram, New York Giants— Hunter Henry Cameron Sutton Jersey , Los Angeles Chargers— Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers— David Njoku, Cleveland Browns— Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints— Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans— Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons— Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts— Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins— Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings— Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts— Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers— Trey Burton, Chicago Bears— Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers— Chris Herndon, New York Jets— Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens