With the smoke now clearing on the Steelers' season, it's time to assess the damage and begin planning for the 2018 season. The first part of that is assessing the team's roster.
I'll take a look at it over the next couple of days. First, we'll look at the offense, which includes six Pro Bowl players, and where it stands coming out of the season. Then, we'll assess the defense and where it needs to go.
QUARTERBACKS
The best news to come out of this season was that Ben Roethlisberger rebounded from a slow start to post 4,251 yards and 28 touchdowns with 14 interceptions in 15 games. Take away his five-interception game against Jacksonville in Week 5 -- I know, you can't -- and his passer rating was 99.4. He also has already committed to returning in 2018 and has told teammates he wants to play three more seasons. That puts drafting a future replacement on the back burner again this season, allowing the Steelers to kick that future headache down the road.
Extending Roethlisberger's contract beyond 2019 and lessening his $23.2 million salary cap hit for next season will be an offseason priority.
Landry Jones will be back as his backup in 2018. This season, he completed 82.1 percent of his passes for 239 yards, one touchdown and one interception, mostly against Cleveland in the regular season finale. Jones is a capable backup. Third-stringer Josh Dobbs didn't play as a rookie and needs plenty of work. Perhaps he'll eventually replace Jones as the top backup, but he's not considered Roethlisberger's potential replacement at this point.
RUNNING BACK
After holding out in a contract dispute until a week before the regular season began, Le'Veon Bell started slowly, gaining 119 yards on 27 carries in the first two weeks. But he rounded into form and finished with 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns to go with 85 receptions for 655 yards. He finished third in the NFL in rushing, second in total yards from scrimmage and led all running backs in receptions. Now, the question will be, will the Steelers work out a new deal with him or place the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive season at a cost of $14.5 million?
Bell turned down a deal worth a reported $60 million over five years last offseason that would have paid him $30 million over the first two seasons and $42 million over the first three. The sticking point was likely the guaranteed money. Bell said he will "consider" holding out or retiring if the Steelers place the franchise tag on him again, but that's not happening. He's not going to pass on more than $14 million in guaranteed money again next season.
James Conner was selected in the third round to be Bell's backup and gained 144 yards on 32 carries before suffering a season-ending MCL injury. Conner was nicked up quite a bit during his rookie season, enough to give pause about his long-term future. He'll get another shot in 2018 but needs to show he can make it through a season without nagging injuries.
Steven Ridley was signed when Conner was lost and averaged 4.2 yards per carry in limited duty. He's a free agent, but he showed enough that the Steelers could be interested in bringing him back at the veteran minimum. Fitzgerald Toussaint is slated to be a restricted free agent and it's unlikely the team will make him a tender offer, meaning he will become unrestricted.
Fullback Roosevelt Nix is a core special teams player and well-respected in the locker room. He's a restricted free agent, as well, and the team likely will make him a tender offer to retain his rights.
WIDE RECEIVER
Antonio Brown is the best receiver in football and easily played up to the four-year, $68 million contract he signed last offseason. He was dominant in 2017 and doesn't appear to be slowing down at all.
Rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster got off to a slow start but wound up catching 58 passes for 917 yards and seven scores. He and Brown had more combined receiving yards than any other duo in the NFL. Smith-Schuster also proved to be a great blocker and is only going to get better. He's not a speedster by any stretch, but was the only player in the league to have two 90-yard plays, one on a reception, the other on a kickoff return.
In his return to the NFL after a one-year suspension, Martavis Bryant didn't really click with Roethlisberger early in the season. He also went through an episode of pouting, both publicly and privately, including asking the team for a trade. But he was a model citizen after being benched for a game against Detroit. Bryant finished the season strong and said he wants to return in 2018. Bryant caught 50 passes -- matching his career high -- for 655 yards and two touchdowns. Given his past suspensions, he doesn't figure to have a lot of trade value. With one year remaining on his rookie deal, he'll likely be back in 2018.
Eli Rogers had his moments as a slot receiver, though his playing time was largely limited. He's a restricted free agent, but he tore an ACL in the playoff game. The Steelers won't have to tender him an offer but can then re-sign him at the minimum on a prove-it-type deal.
Justin Hunter and Darrius-Heyward Bey are depth players. Hunter is an unrestricted free agent and could be brought back at the minimum, while Heyward-Bey is well-respected in the locker room and should be back.
TIGHT END
Mike Tomlin was so unhappy with the team's production and play in the preseason he said the team was getting JV efforts from the tight end position. So veteran David Johnson was gone and Vance McDonald was acquired via trade with San Francisco right before the season began.
It took McDonald a while to get acclimated and then he struggled through some injuries, but he had 10 catches for 112 yards in the team's playoff loss to Jacksonville -- setting a team postseason record for tight ends -- and should enter 2018 as the clear-cut No. 1. McDonald is a solid blocker and athletic pass catcher, the closest the Steelers have had to being a dual threat at the position since Heath Miller circa 2012.
The emergence of McDonald will allow Jesse James to slide into a No. 2 role, a spot he is much better suited to fill. James is a decent pass catcher but offers little in terms of run after the catch. He continues to need to get better as a blocker.
Xavier Grimble is a mix of McDonald and James and has potential. He'll get a shot at returning as the No. 3 tight end. But keep an eye on Jake McGee, who stuck on the practice squad all season. He looked impressive at times in practice and could push Grimble.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This unit was one of the strengths of the team, and considering the Steelers were paying the five starters -- Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert -- just under $40 million in cap space, it had better be.
Villanueva, Pouncey and DeCastro all made the Pro Bowl in 2017, though some questioned Villanueva's inclusion. He had his struggles, at times, but when looking at the rest of the AFC left tackles, he was deserving.
The five starters are all under contract and figure to be back. But top backup Chris Hubbard, who filled in for nine starts for Gilbert due to injury and suspension, is an unrestricted free agent and should cash in on the open market. As much as the Steelers would like to keep him, that's unlikely.
B.J. Finney, Matt Feiler and Jerald Hawkins all had their moments, as well, one of the reasons why the Steelers were so happy line coach Mike Munchak decided to stick around again this season. He had been a candidate for the head coaching job in Arizona.
The intact return of this unit was a reason why Roethlisberger said he wanted to return in 2018. Though the line is starting to get a little long in the tooth, the unit goes eight deep with legitimate NFL players in a league where most teams struggle to field three NFL-caliber offensive linemen.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Steelers finished the season ranked third in the NFL in total yardage, eighth in points and led the AFC in third-down conversion percentage at 44 percent. But they ranked 22nd in red zone scoring at just 50.8 percent.
With 63 trips inside the opposing 20, the Steelers were one of just three teams in the league to get there more than 60 times -- behind New England (70) and the Rams (69). But that needs to get better under new offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner.
It also would help if Roethlisberger gets off to a faster start next season than he did this year. The Steelers understandably eased him into things and it took him a while to get rolling.
It also would be good to find a running back to spell Bell at times. He finished the season with an NFL-high 407 touches despite sitting out the regular season finale.
With Fichtner now calling the shots -- or some would suggest Roethlisberger -- instead of Todd Haley, it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments are made to the offense. With Roethlisberger being given so much apparent control, expect more no-huddle.
But that will be something worth keeping an eye on throughout the offseason and training camp.