Le'Veon Bell announces release from Baltimore Ravens

Running back Le’Veon Bell’s time in Baltimore has come to an end. 

Bell, 29, was released from the Ravens organization on Tuesday after less than a season with the team. He took to Twitter to thank Baltimore for the opportunity. 

this hurts, but it’s been a blessing to be here to say the least, i’ve enjoyed every second of this short period & gotta whole new meaning of what this city is like & it’s a great place to be 🖤💜 I appreciate Eric Decasta & John Harbaugh for the opportunity to be called an Raven pic.twitter.com/428poGYsNO

— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) November 16, 2021

Bell will now be subject to waivers, but he may end up in Baltimore in some capacity again.

“My understanding is that the Ravens are still hoping that Le’Veon Bell can come back to their practice squad at some point,” said Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. “As of right now, they are getting guys back and need the spot.”

The former Michigan State star was signed to the Ravens practice squad in September, was activated in Week 4 and Week 6, and was officially added to the active roster on Oct. 19. Bell played in five Ravens games this year with 83 yards and two touchdowns. 

He has spent the bulk of his NFL career in Pittsburgh after the Steelers chose him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Bell played out his rookie contract, and the Steelers used a franchise tag on him in his fifth year. They tried to do the same thing the following year, but Bell declined the opportunity.

Bell left Pittsburgh in 2018 as a free agent and spent time with both the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 and 2020.

In total, Bell has started 81 of the 93 games in which he has played and posted 6,536 yards and 42 touchdowns on 1,587 carries. An all-purpose running back, he also has 395 receptions for 3,258 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro back.

Bell a huge part of Michigan State early 2010s dominance

The Columbus, Ohio native was in East Lansing for some of former head coach Mark Dantonio’s most successful years.

In Bell’s freshman and sophomore campaigns, the Spartans won 11 games each year. They finished 7-6 in 2012.

Bell had immense individual success as well, winning the Big Ten rushing title in 2012 after averaging 137.9 rushing yards per game. He led the FBS in carries and yards after contact that season; 922 of his 1,793 rushing yards (51%) came after an initial attempted tackle.

In 40 college games, Bell had 3,346 yards and 33 touchdowns. Many of his rushing statistics rank in the top 10 all-time in East Lansing.