Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was forced to watch most of the 2019 season from the sidelines. He watched his team fall short of the postseason with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges taking his place, something he'll look to change now that he finds himself in good health.

Big Ben suffered an elbow injury in Week 2, finishing the season with no touchdown passes. His injury was at first considered career-threatening, but the Steelers gunslinger is looking past his arm and into what his team can do to return to the playoffs this upcoming season:

Via Pro Football Talk:

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“To me that was one of the exciting things to watch this year from the sideline, was that defense,” the Steelers QB said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “They were fun. Some key additions. Guys just stepping up, taking their game to another level. Man was it fun watching those edge rushers come off the edge. It reminded me of [James] Harrison and [LaMarr] Woodley. And it was neat to see on the back-end, seeing Minkah [Fitzpatrick], seeing [Terrell Edmunds] and all those guys and the way that our corners were playing. That whole defense was so much fun to watch. And so I am excited to come back because I think that they’re going to be an integral part of a potential championship run, which is what we’re all looking for.”

For the Steelers, this might mean going back to their roots as a defensive pest, relying on timely tackling and a secondary that can contain long threats.

The thought is that Pittsburgh won't be able to rely on Big Ben's arm strength or his mobility like they did in his heyday. Adding some defense to that equation could change the Steelers' outlook now that they have their starter back after finishing 8-8 last season.