Patience Will Be a Central Theme for the Chiefs and Le'Veon Bell

Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs have a new weapon to work with thanks to the addition of running back Le'Veon Bell. Just be patient while Bell works his way into Kansas City's offense.

Running back Le'Veon Bell is known for his unorthodox running style of being extremely patient in the backfield, waiting for his offensive line to open holes, then bursting through them. That same trait — patience — led to him joining the Kansas City Chiefs and will be important to keep in mind as he gets acclimated to Andy Reid's offense.

Had the Bell sweepstakes truly turned into a bidding war, the Miami Dolphins had a clear edge over the Chiefs. It seems that Bell becoming a Chief represents him valuing a potential championship over a paycheck, hushing any critics who previously thought otherwise. Both sides waited for the right time to unite, and they'll have to wait a little longer before Bell can officially take the field.

Due to COVID-related NFL policies this year, it'll be close to a week before Bell can enter the Chiefs' facility, practice, or play in a game. The Chiefs play the Denver Broncos next Sunday, which would be a quick turnaround for Bell to get up to speed and receive any meaningful snaps. It's possible he does play in that contest, but his role will likely be minimized compared to what we could see the following week vs. Bell's most recent team: the New York Jets. 

The Chiefs have been a strange squad to watch this season. Despite putting up similar numbers to last season's electric performances, there have been entire quarters or halves of games where the offense hasn't clicked. There are many reasons to attribute these mini-slumps to, and some adjustments certainly need to be made. Does Bell make those changes easier or more difficult? Probably the former, and he absolutely makes them more interesting moving forward.

How will Reid split touches between Bell and 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire? How often will they both be on the field at the same time? What does the addition of Bell mean for backups Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson? DeAndre Washington was recently promoted from the practice squad — does this effectively extinguish any hopes of him making an impact on the field this season? Bell's addition to the backfield only adds more questions to a group that already had plenty of them. 

Could having two premier pass-catching backs at his disposal prompt Reid to send one or both of them out wide? The underutilization of Edwards-Helaire in the passing game has been a major gripe among Chiefs fans through the first five weeks of the season. Adding the consistent route-running threat of Edwards-Helaire and/or Bell in practically any situation may help things, especially while wide receiver Sammy Watkins is injured. 

At the end of the day, the acquisition of Bell probably isn't going to break the NFL. It will, however, provide Reid and Patrick Mahomes with even more options. Options are never a bad thing, and when you factor in how brilliant both Reid and Mahomes are, it's hard to not see them figuring things out with a Bell/Edwards-Helaire combo out of the backfield. It may take a few weeks, though, which is why the age-old saying, "patience is a virtue" will pay off for Chiefs fans — just as it did for Le'Veon Bell.

For more on the Chiefs' addition of Le'Veon Bell, check out Tucker Franklin's column about how Bell's decision to join the Chiefs was about more than football. We also chatted about the move with Conner Christopherson on the latest Roughing the Kicker podcast.