Le'Veon Bell ponders switching positions to receiver

Could one of the NFL's best running backs give up the position?

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell acknowledged Friday that he has considered moving to receiver, but it doesn't sound like it will happen any time soon.

"Maybe when I'm old and not wanting to play running back and get the ball 20 times a game, maybe I could convert, but not right now," said Bell, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Bell is unquestionably one of football's best receiving backs, to the extent that the Steelers routinely line him up as a receiver and ask him to run the same pass routes their full-time receivers run.

Despite missing the first three games of the season under suspension, Bell is second on the team with 57 receptions for 437 yards.

While there's little doubt Bell could succeed as a full-time slot receiver, it would be a shame to see his rushing skills go to waste. Bell's patience and vision on carries out of the backfield are truly rare.

As Fittipaldo notes, running backs have the shortest career lifespan of any position in the NFL. They are also among the lowest paid players.

It's not crazy to think Bell may one day swap the RB in front of his name for WR, but the Steelers will have little interest in that until they have a younger, better running back on the roster. Considering Bell is still in his prime, that won't happen in the foreseeable future.