The Pittsburgh Steelers held their first practice of the regular season Monday, and in one aspect, it looked much like all of the preceding ones from training camp, minicamp and organized team activities.

LeVeon Bell wasn’t a part of it.

The All-Pro running back, who has missed all team activities this summer, was not at practice when it started at 10:45 a.m. Monday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Bell has not signed his $14.54 million franchise-tag tender and won’t take the field until he signs it.

Related players: James Conner

On Sunday night, Bell posted a video to his Snapchat account that showed him in a hotel overlooking a beach, the story said. Bell has spent his time away from the Steelers training in South Florida. GM Kevin Colbert said the team is disappointed Bell hasn't signed his tender and joined his teammates.

Last year Bell showed on Labor Day, but the Tribune-Review story said Monday's practice was a bonus as the team plans to ramp up workouts Wednesday. It's possible Bell is waiting until then. But, obviously the longer this goes on the more risky Bell is for Week 1. If you haven't picked up Conner, it may be a good idea to grab him.

As for Steelers RB LeVeon Bell, one of his teammates just told me there are “no signs of him here at all.”

Related players: James Conner

The tweet game just before 6 a.m. eastern time so by now things are already under way as she added the practice was in two hours. This is, of course, the Steelers first official practice of the season heading into Week 1. Reports said Bell denied a story he would show on Monday. Obviously the longer he misses time this week, the more risky of a play he is for Week 1, assuming he does show up.

Steelers OC Randy Fichtner sounds pretty comfortable playing LeVeon Bell in Week 1. Asked about potential need to scale him back, Fichtner said, "That’s a hard question because that’s LeVeon Bell...There are things he can do that, quite frankly, most people can't do."

Related players: James Conner

The Steelers may not plan to limit Bell, but he will have to prove he's in game shape after missing camp thus far. Meanwhile Conner has performed well in the passing game during the preseason. Bell got off to a slow start last year after missing most of camp. Reports said Bell will report to camp no later than Friday of this week while others say Labor Day.

Ben Roethlisberger let James Conner know that if he got winded during the no-huddle attack, the Steelers quarterback would get him a breather by calling a play or two for someone else.

Six receptions for 52 yards later, Conner never asked for that breather in extended action against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.

"He never said anything to me, so I like the shape he's in," Roethlisberger said after the 16-6 victory. "I'm excited with what James can do and has been doing."

Related players: LeVeon Bell

Conner didn't excel in the run game in this contest, but did record a 57-yard run this summer against Green Bay. The story said that as a rookie, Conner struggled with pass protection and conditioning but those are no longer areas of concern. He could see more use especially early in the season if Bell is trying to catch up to speed upon his return.

James Conner finished practice Sunday as an onlooker because of a groin injury. Stevan Ridley also was not used in team drills. While they were out, Fitzgerald Toussaint and fifth-round pick Jaylen Samuels got the work ahead of undrafted free agents Jarvion Franklin and James Summers.

Related players: LeVeon Bell

The story said HC Mike Tomlin didn’t seem concerned and chalked up Conner’s absence to a desire to see other running backs get work with the first team. Of course, the Steelers hope Bell returns to camp sooner than later and this battle is for his backup.

Steelers sign RB Stevan Ridley. James Conner to IR.

Related players: Fitzgerald Toussaint, LeVeon Bell

Ridley will backup Bell and Toussaint with Conner's season now over.

James Conner will have knee surgery this afternoon and will be placed on IR. He will be replaced this afternoon, though Mike Tomlin doesn't say how.

Related players: LeVeon Bell, Roosevelt Nix, Fitzgerald Toussaint

Conner was the handcuff to Bell so Bell owners will want to pay attention to how he recovers since he torn his MCL in college. A report yesterday said the Steelers may look outside the organization for help at the position. Right now Nix and Toussaint are up next on the depth chart.

Steelers RB James Conner likely will need surgery on his knee after injuring it yesterday, source says.

Related players: LeVeon Bell, Roosevelt Nix, Fitzgerald Toussaint

Timeline for his recovery is unclear the tweet said, but he's at least out a few weeks. Nix and Toussaint are next up, but the team could also look outside the organization for RB help.

Running back LeVeon Bell practiced with the Steelers Monday, ending an absence from the field that stretched through the team’s offseason program and all their work this summer.

Bell described himself as “a little winded” after going through the session, but coach Mike Tomlin had a more positive take on how Bell fared in his return to the field. Tomlin said during a Tuesday press conference, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that he thinks Bell is in “great physical condition” after seeing him get “back on the moving train” on Monday.

Related players: James Conner

The story said Bell may not have his usual role in Week 1. Tomlin said they plan to watch Bell at practice to assess how much he'll play and that the team is "comfortable" with Conner getting work.

LeVeon Bell still has not reported to Steelers camp after not reaching an agreement on a contract extension. At some point, he will have to decide whether to play on the franchise tag and sign his tender.

Rookie running back James Conner (shoulder) has also been out since last Monday, after getting evaluated at a Pittsburgh hospital for his injury.

That means Fitzgerald Toussaint is on top of the depth chart, ahead of Knile Davis heading into the Steelers' first preseason game.

There's no reason to think Bell won't eventually sign his tender and reward fantasy owners once again, but Pittsburgh is one of the few backfields that has proven to produce a high-value handcuff. We saw it with DeAngelo Williams, but we also saw it with Toussaint in the 2015 postseason when he turned 21 touches into 118 total yards. Bell owners may want to monitor who the back-up is this offseason, as it has produced high volume in years past when Bell has not played.