The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t begin to tell you how much they love Le’Veon Bell, as they bent over backwards Wednesday to talk about their respect for the running back.

David DeCastro cherishes his memories of blocking for Bell. Maurkice Pouncey calls theirs a brotherhood that is misunderstood. Bud Dupree says the Steelers only have a beef with Bell if he has one with them. Cameron Heyward said Bell was a great teammate when he was with the Steelers.

“I never had any ill will toward him,” Heyward said. “He came to work. You knew what you were getting on Sundays. I think he cared about what he was putting on the field. He cared about his teammates.”

That’s a long way from their attitude last season, when Steelers players publicly ripped Bell as he sat out in a dispute over having the franchise tag placed on him for a second consecutive year. Antonio Brown called for Bell to “show up,” Pouncey suggested that Bell “man up” and called him “selfish” for skipping out on the season.

The Steelers now say it was just business.

So, we’re a long way from looting his locker.

Now that Bell plays for the New York Jets, the Steelers can’t wait to wrap their arms around the former All-Pro and embrace him when they meet Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Just think of it as a tackle more than hug, even if it’s all love.

Asked what he would tell Bell upon taking him to the ground, let Heyward count the ways to share his season’s greetings: “That’s one,” Heyward said. “Get ready for No. 2.”

That’s the real challenge this week, not whether the Steelers can put aside their hurt feelings about Bell after the former All-Pro’s absence last year contributed to them missing the playoffs.

When asked how his experience of coaching Bell would help prepare the Steelers stop him, Mike Tomlin just laughed.

“I don’t have to tackle him. I don’t have a lot to worry about,” Tomlin said. “Tackling him is the issue.”

Tomlin then talked about how the Steelers have experience doing that in training camp-like settings, but it’s been since 2016 that Bell spent any time at Saint Vincent. The Steelers only have four defensive starters left from that training camp, so it’s a new cast of characters who have to stop Bell.

“You have to attack him,” Dupree said. “You can’t let him get going. You can’t let him come to you. You’ve got to go to him. You have to meet him before he gets going.”

It has taken Bell a while to get going with the Jets, so the Steelers’ reverence for him might be misplaced. He’s rushed for 676 yards and three touchdowns on 204 carries in 13 games — a career-low average of 3.3 yards per carry — and has 57 receptions for 404 yards and a touchdown (7.1 yards per catch).

What’s worse, Bell hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing performance this season and has only three games with 100 yards total offense. Bell had better numbers as a Steelers rookie in 2013, rushing for 860 yards and eight touchdowns on 244 carries (3.5) with 45 receptions for 399 yards, four games with 100-plus yards total offense and three others with 96 yards or more.

“I know it hasn’t gone exactly as we thought it (would) at the beginning of the year,” Jets coach Adam Gase said, blaming injuries and inconsistency on the offensive line and quarterback Sam Darnold before noting that Bell has “grinded through it.”

For all of their bluster, the Steelers have to realize they would be better off with Bell in their backfield than their by-committee approach of banged-up backs. The offensive line knew how to open holes for Bell’s patient, pick-your-spot style of running, and the threat of him as a receiver would have taken pressure for the backups at quarterback.

Not only is Bell coming off a season-high 87 rushing yards against Baltimore, but he has impressed the Jets with his ability to gain positive yardage and be sure-handed with ball security. Bell has lost only one fumble this season, a statistic that negates the Steelers’ strength in forcing takeaways.

“We’re trying to get after him,” Heyward said. “In the right mind, we appreciate what he’s done here. He’s going to be going at us, too. Don’t expect him to be going light. We have to make sure we bring our hard hat because he’s going to be trying to get some payback, I know that.”

All of this should make you realize both the Steelers and Bell would have been better off together, instead of squabbling over guaranteed money on a long-term contract and his desire to be paid like both a top running back and top receiver. Bell would have been worth every penny of the four-year, $52.5-million deal with $33 million guaranteed for the Steelers that he got from the Jets in free agency, in return for what likely will be a third-round compensatory draft pick.

“You can’t live in those ifs and thens,” Heyward said. “Everybody’s got to make their bed. The great thing about it is we’re still in for a chance in the playoffs. I know he’s a great player, but we can’t worry about what could have happened.”

The Steelers will be too busy trying to tackle Bell in the hope he’s not the reason they miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season. That’s the best way to show their love: by giving him a group hug.

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