The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense sustained a rather crushing blow this offseason, as the team traded away star wide receiver Antonio Brown.

A seven-time Pro Bowler, Brown has long been one of the best wide outs in the NFL, so his loss will hurt the passing game, regardless of how much of a knucklehead he was in the locker room.

Of course, the Steelers still have JuJu Smith-Schuster, who lit it up with 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns last year, but remember: that production came with Brown playing on the other side. How Smith-Schuster now handles the role of being the No. 1 receiver, a job that comes with dealing with the opposing team's best cornerback and constant double teams, remains to be seen.

In order to cushion the blow, Pittsburgh signed veteran receiver Donte Moncrief shortly after trading Brown, and Moncrief seems to be the guy who will step into the No. 2 spot ahead of James Washington.

That's why Moncrief is the Steelers' main X-factor heading into Week 1 against the New England Patriots.

Moncrief is hardly a star. He is coming off of a 2018 campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars in which he caught 48 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns, and he has never registered 800 receiving yards in a single season throughout his five-year NFL career.

But, keep in mind that Moncrief will now be a part of an offense in which he has a capable quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger (not Blake Bortles or Cody Kessler) and will have a prominent role.

Because the Steelers throw the football more than your average team, Moncrief will get more opportunities, and his numbers should see a bump as a result.

Roethlisberger and Moncrief seemed to develop a good rapport in training camp, so we should expect to see that on full display in what is a very tough season opener against the Patriots.

Obviously, Moncrief is far from Pittsburgh's only secondary option to Smith-Schuster. There is the aforementioned Washington, of whom there are high hopes heading into his second season. The Steelers also have tight end Vance McDonald, who had a very solid 2018 season, and we know that James Conner is one of the top up and coming running backs in football.

But given that Moncrief will be the club's No. 2 receiver, he automatically becomes the biggest X-factor, as he will be the beneficiary of all of the attention that Smith-Schuster will receive.

There will be games where Smith-Schuster gets blanketed and Moncrief will have to step up. This Sunday night is a potential example, as New England will have All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore shading Smith-Schuster.

That means Moncrief will have to make some plays to keep the Pats' defense honest.

Even though Smith-Schuster is the No. 1, it would not be shocking to see Moncrief end up with 10 targets in this contest, as Gilmore is a heck of a defensive back, and the Steelers may have to adjust.

Sure, Pittsburgh can just pound the ball more with Conner or use McDonald in short routes, but Moncrief is going to have to be the guy to provide Roethlisberger with a reliable weapon should Smith-Schuster be limited.