The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a disappointing 2018 campaign in which they went 9-6-1 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013, largely due to locker room issues.
Well, the Steelers ended up trading Antonio Brown this offseason, and the team camaraderie may end up being better as a result.
But how is Pittsburgh going to make up for Brown's insane talent on offense?
The Steelers will almost surely be in playoff contention this coming season. They are the Steelers, after all. But there is no doubt that they have some reasons to worry about their prospects.
Here are three areas of concern for Pittsburgh heading into 2019:
3. The Atmosphere
There is no doubt that shedding Brown should be a positive for the Steelers' locker room, but Brown was not the only issue.
Ben Roethlisberger has not exactly been the greatest leader, with numerous former teammates criticizing his leadership abilities. Not only that, but you have to wonder if Mike Tomlin is starting to lose the locker room and if he is going stale as the team's head coach.
The good news for Pittsburgh is that it will be injecting some fresh, new young talent into its roster, which should be a breath of fresh air. It's just a matter of whether or not the Steelers really cleaned up their issues. Roethlisberger has voiced his desire to change and improve his leadership, which is also an encouraging sign.
Remember: Le'Veon Bell's holdout was lingering over the club in 2018, as well, so him being gone should also help.
2. The No. 2 Receiver
The Steelers had probably the best one-two punch in football between Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2018. But now, Brown is gone, which slides Smith-Schuster into the lead receiver role and leaves an open competition for the No. 2 slot.
Donte Moncrief seems to be the favorite right now, and he will probably end up winning the job over second-year wide out James Washington, but that is still a significant dropoff from this past season.
Taking that into consideration, the Steelers may have to rely more on tight end Vance McDonald, who actually had a really good year in 2018. Regardless, the loss of Brown is obviously going to hurt Pittsburgh's aerial attack, as defenses can double team Smith-Schuster and force guys like Moncrief and Washington to beat them.
The Steelers have generally always had two really good wide outs on their roster, so this will be an interesting experiment.
1. Ben Roethlisberger's Age
Roethlisberger is now 37 years old, and you have to wonder just how much he has left in the tank.
Sure, he racked up 5,129 yards this past season, but he also led the league with 16 interceptions, his worst mark since throwing 23 picks back in 2006.
With Brown gone, Roethlisberger may have to improvise more, as he doesn't have as many dependable targets to throw to. Luckily for Big Ben, he has a great offensive line, so he should have plenty of time to throw, but he may have to make more plays on his own than he is used to.
Taking into account all of the mileage on his body and all of the bumps and bruises he has absorbed over the years, Roethlisberger's age is a legitimate question mark going into this season.
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