The Pittsburgh Steelers appear prepared to start James Conner at running back even if Le'Veon Bell reports on Wednesday.

Conner was a third round pick in 2017.

Mike Tomlin was emphatic about that on Tuesday when asked if he is more comfortable with what he has behind Bell today than he was going to Cleveland last year.

“James — the status and condition and approach of James. Being a rookie who missed a lot of time due to soft tissue injuries and lack of general readiness to a guy who’s done the things that we outlined.”

Bell was widely expected to report on Monday as he did last year on Labor Day.