NFL teams
Adam Teicher, ESPN Staff Writer 3y

Le'Veon Bell: Chance to 'reinvent' myself with Kansas City Chiefs

NFL, Kansas City Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Le'Veon Bell is now a teammate of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, so he probably won't get the chance to be a star with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bell said Wednesday he was fine with that, moments before he began his first practice with his new team. He called his opportunity with the Chiefs (5-1) a chance to "reinvent'' himself.

"I played at a high level for so long," Bell said, referring to his five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. "I had two years [with the New York Jets] where it has not been a high level, and people kind of look at it like that. So I wanted to get here, get my feet back under me, get in a good offense, get the ball when I can [and] not have too much pressure on me, just play football.

"I think coming here will give me the opportunity to do that. There are a lot of [good] players. I don't necessarily have to worry about how many times I'm touching it."

Bell said he joined the Chiefs for the chance to play for coach Andy Reid and with players like Mahomes, of whom Bell said, "I never played with a player MVP-wise."

"It was just undeniable to try to come here to help this team any way I can help them out," Bell said. "When I decided to come here, I already knew the weapons, and there's only one football to kind of go around. I think there's going to be a lot of opportunity to kind of show what I can do in space, running routes. I think this offense is a good fit for my skill set. I think Coach Reid does a good job of getting backs the ball in space. I'm glad I've got this opportunity."

Reid wouldn't commit to having Bell in uniform Sunday against the Broncos in Denver. "We'll see how he does'' in practice this week, Reid said.

Bell indicated he would be ready to play.

"The longer I stay in my playbook, the more serious I am about my playbook, that's the bigger my role will be," he said. "I think so far I've been doing a good job."

Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, said he was eager for Bell to get into a game, particularly for what he can do for the Chiefs as a receiver.

"He's a mismatch coming out of the backfield," Mahomes said. "The way he's able to run routes, the way he's able to split out and basically be a receiver out there is pretty special. He's going to get a lot of matchups I don't think he's had recently with a lot of linebackers on him, and I'm sure he's pretty excited about that."

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