For the second straight day, Le’Veon Bell spent a portion of practice with the NFL’s drug testers.
Bell participated in the early portion of Jets practice Saturday and went through the first-team period before disappearing for the rest of practice. He returned at the end to sign autographs for the fans.
Coach Adam Gase said Bell was undergoing a drug test. Bell missed some of Friday’s practice for the same reason.
“Since he wasn’t here in the spring, he has to do everything now,” Gase said.
It seems odd Bell would have to undergo tests on consecutive days, but Gase said it was not unusual.
“It happens,” Gase said. “Sometimes you guys don’t see it all the time. In the season, sometimes we’ll be out at practice and a guy gets pulled off. It happens a lot in OTAs.”
Gase was asked if it bothered him that the tests occurred during practice.
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Gase said.
Bell was suspended twice with the Steelers for drug violations. He blamed his second suspension, in 2016, on missed drug tests.
Rookie Quinnen Williams took the field for the first time in training camp Saturday, and he went through his initiation.
Just before practice, the entire defense gathered around Williams, who had to do 40 “up-downs,” in which he dove belly-first onto the ground then popped back up.
“To be part of this defense you have to put in your dues,” linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. “He put in his dues today. Everyone else did it. If you come in later, no matter at what point during the season, you’ve got to put in your dues to be part of this defense.”
During practice, Williams worked with the second-team defense. Gase said he’d have to watch the film to see how he performed, but he was impressed by the condition in which the defensive lineman showed up. Gase then joked about Williams studying conditioning drills on YouTube.
“He’s in great shape,” Gase said. “I guess the YouTube things paid off.”
Former Jets QB Josh McCown was at practice Saturday and spent a long time chatting with Gase. The two were together in 2006 with the Lions.