The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2019 NFL season with a bit of optimism despite losing Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown on offense. From early in the season, it was apparent that the Steelers weren't going to have the season they envisioned themselves having.

In Week 2 versus the Seattle Seahawks, Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. As a result, Pittsburgh was forced to call on Mason Rudolph and undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges at quarterback.

With inconsistent play under center, the Steelers failed to reach the playoffs for the second straight season. Nevertheless, with Roethlisberger returning and the additions they made this offseason, Pittsburgh believes they can return to the postseason next season. With that in mind, here are the three biggest questions for the Steelers in the 2020 NFL season.

3. Is JuJu Smith-Schuster capable of being Pittsburgh's No. 1 wide receiver?

Following Pittsburgh's decision to trade Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster was tasked with assuming the team's No. 1 spot at wide receiver. Back in 2018, with Brown alongside him, Smith-Schuster hauled in 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns.

However, in 2019, Smith-Schuster recorded only 42 receptions for 552 yards and three touchdowns. In his defense, the USC product dealt with injuries and had a less-than-ideal situation at quarterback.

Given that, the 2019 NFL season can be thrown in the trash and forgotten for Smith-Schuster. As he enters a contract year with the Steelers, Smith-Schuster needs to prove he's capable of being the No. 1 wide receiver in the offense in 2020.

2. Can Bud Dupree repeat his success from last season?

While Pittsburgh's offense left a lot to be desired a season ago, the defense was absolutely fantastic. Once the Steelers acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick via trade, their defense began to gradually improve as the season progressed.

Besides Fitzpatrick, Bud Dupree emerged as a breakout player for the Steelers in 2019. After totaling just 20 sacks in his first four seasons, Dupree notched a career-high 11.5 sacks and four forced fumbles last season. Seeing that Dupree finally showed upside, T.J. Watt was able to have better numbers in return.

Similar to Smith-Schuster, Dupree is entering a pivotal year, as he had the franchise tag placed on him this offseason. If Dupree can duplicate his production from last season, the Steelers could boast an elite defense again in 2020.

1. Will Ben Roethlisberger be able to perform well following his season-ending injury?

The biggest addition this offseason for the Steelers is undoubtedly the return of Roethlisberger. However, everyone seems to assume that the veteran signal-caller is going to seamlessly return and be dominant again.

While it's possible he has success, there's also the chance he either gets injured again or struggles in his return. At 38 years old, Roethlisberger has had his fair share of injuries over the course of his career. Altogether, in his 16 seasons with the Steelers, he's managed to play all 16 games just four times.

Provided that, Pittsburgh has to be prepared in case Roethlisberger suffers another injury in the latter part of his career. In the event that he stays healthy and performs well, then the Steelers could end their short playoff drought in 2020.