FOXBORO, Mass. — Antonio Brown is in Oakland. Le’Veon Bell now resides in East Rutherford. A new day has dawned for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh is preparing to enter the 2019 NFL season short two-thirds of its vaunted Killer B’s trio. Of that, only quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains, now flanked by rising stars at wide receiver and running back in 2018 Pro Bowlers JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner.
How different will the Steelers’ offense look with the mercurial Brown and Bell gone for good? That’s the biggest question surrounding the New England Patriots’ Week 1 opponent.
“(It’s) a little bit of the unknown,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said Monday. “Obviously, it’s already Week 1, so they had a whole offseason to implement new things and do different things, and now, a lot of the film that you watch from last year includes a guy that was a huge part of their offense (Brown).
“I think the thing is, you’ve got to realize they have a lot of good receivers over there, so they’re going to be able to still do those things. I think the harder thing defensively is you don’t know. I think it’s easy for you to say JuJu will take on everything AB did, but you don’t know that for sure.”
It’s at least safe to assume Smith-Schuster, who finished with 1,426 receiving yards last season to Brown’s 1,297, now is the Steelers’ unquestioned No. 1 wideout. Veteran newcomer Donte Moncrief should start opposite him to begin the season, with Ryan Switzer working in the slot and second-year pro James Washington and third-round rookie Diontae Johnson both showing potential this summer.
The Steelers utilized five-receiver personnel on 17 snaps during their 17-10 win over the Patriots at Heinz Field last December, so all five of those wideouts — who will try as a unit to replicate the 104 receptions and 15 touchdowns Brown racked up in 2018 — could play roles in this Sunday’s season-opening matchup at Gillette Stadium.
“Washington had a pretty good game against us last year,” safety Duron Harmon said. “He had a deep ball. So we know what he brings to the table. He might not have much film, but we know he’s a good player, and he’s a guy they’ve been speaking highly of. Obviously, Johnson, as well. He’s kind of been hurt for a while, but talking to our offensive staff, he was a guy that was very, very dynamic with the ball in his hands (in college at Toledo).
“We do our research, and we know what we’re going against. We know that they have a very, very explosive skill group.”
Washington had the best game of his rather quiet debut season against the Patriots, catching three passes on four targets for 65 yards, including a leaping 32-yard grab over Jason McCourty.
Overall, though, New England’s secondary fared well against Pittsburgh’s wideouts, with Stephon Gilmore holding Brown to four catches on seven targets for 49 yards and a touchdown and Smith-Schuster posting a pedestrian 4-40-0 line on 10 targets against then-rookie J.C. Jackson. Roethlisberger threw for a season-low 235 yards on 34 attempts and tossed two interceptions, both to Harmon.
The Patriots’ run defense was a different story. Third-string running back Jaylen Samuels torched them for 142 yards while averaging a gaudy 7.5 yards per carry. The Patriots have yet to see Conner, who started 12 games last year during Bell’s voluntary season-long absence but missed the Pats’ visit to Pittsburgh with an injury.
Running behind one of the NFL’s premier offensive lines, Conner ranked among the top 10 in the league in rushing yards per game (eighth), rushing touchdowns (tied for third) and runs of 20-plus yards (tied for seventh) in 2018 despite missing three games.
“Obviously, (we’re) playing against a team with a Hall of Fame-type quarterback, some really good receivers, a great back in Conner and a really good offensive line,” Devin McCourty said. “This will be one of the hardest games we probably have all year.”
