To answer that question, it’s a no from me dawg. James Conner has had his ups and downs so far this season. However, he’s proven himself just as valuable if not more valuable than Bell. Le’Veon has still not reported to the Steelers’ despite saying he would. With the Steelers’ moving on from Bell, is it possible we’re seeing the start of a new era? Is James Conner the future of Pittsburgh’s backfield? Will Le’Veon return to the Steelers’ to stay? There so many questions to be answered.
The Numbers
What do the numbers say to support my claims? For starters, Conner has run for 599 yards so far this year. Just a week away from the middle of the season, he is on pace to pass Bell’s rushing yards from the last two seasons. He also has nine total touchdowns this year, more than Bell in 2016 and tied for his 2017 totals. Conner is on pace for about 21 touchdowns this year, over two times more than Bell the past few seasons. Also, Conner destroys Le’Veon in runs for longer than 20 yards. He had a total of seven 20+ yard runs in 2016 and 2017 combined. This year, not even halfway through the season, James Conner has seven 20+ yard runs.
Pass Catching
“But Trent, Le’Veon is a better receiver than James Conner, so that means Le’Veon is better!” Ok, first of all, shut your mouth. You have no idea what you’re talking about, and by the way, James Conner caught that ball one handed in the picture above. “But one handed catches don’t mean anything Trent!” Yeah, I’ll give that one to you, so lets look at the stats instead shall we? At this very moment, James Conner has caught 31 passes going for 323 yards. That is already over halfway to passing Le’Veon in receiving yards for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Conclusion
So what else is there to argue? James Conner can do everything that Le’Veon Bell can do. Bell is more of a finesse back, while Conner is more of a traditional style back. Only difference is, James Conner’s numbers are looking to be better than Le’Veon when it’s all said and done. Let’s take a step back for a second as I absolutely shred that haircut that James Conner is rocking though. Honestly, what the actual hell is that haircut? Currently, a clean haircut is the only thing Le’Veon has going for him that is better than Conner. However, I’m gonna have Conner’s barber arrested for that travesty, so don’t hold that too close Le’Veon.
