Let's fast forward to a week from now. Antonio Brown is no longer on the Steelers' roster.
That's OK, you say. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the Steelers in receptions and receiving yardage last season, anyway. He was, after all, the team MVP.
That's all well and good. But Smith-Schuster was the Steelers' No. 2 receiver. Smith-Schuster knew it. The Steelers knew it. And, most important, opposing teams knew it. With Brown no longer around, Smith-Schuster will have to take on that mantle. That's fine. He showed throughout 2018 he's capable of handling that kind of workload. Witness his 166 targets last season, only two fewer than Brown.
But is he capable of handling the extra attention he'll receive from opposing teams?
That's where things can get tricky.
In the one game in which Smith-Schuster didn't have Brown around to at least help even out the defensive attention -- the regular season finale against the Bengals -- he managed just five catches for 37 yards on 10 targets. He did score, but it was obvious the additional attention made things tough on the young receiver.
At just 22 years old -- many of the receivers at last week's NFL Scouting Combine were older -- Smith-Schuster still has plenty of room for growth. He's nowhere near a complete package yet. That offers some hope.
But who replaces Smith-Schuster as the No. 2 target?
James Washington will likely do so in name. But even though he often put on a show at training camp and sometimes in practice, asking Washington to go from his production last year (16 receptions for 217 yards) to being even a 60-catch guy would be quite a jump. And the only other receiver on the roster with NFL experience once Brown is gone is Ryan Switzer. While he had 36 receptions last season, which was a nice surprise, his 7.0 yards-per-catch average doesn't exactly scream No. 2 receiver.
Vance McDonald could actually be the player currently on the roster who benefits the most. McDonald is an excellent threat in the receiving game. He's the most athletic tight end the Steelers have had on their roster since Heath Miller circa 2012. He had 50 catches for 610 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. But he's certainly capable of more. The issue, however, is that he's also proven to be a guy who gets nicked up because of the devil-may-care attitude with which he plays the game. He goes looking for contact, and that can lend itself to injuries.
The idea for the Steelers will be to add a veteran receiver in free agency and then again in the draft.
Former Ravens receiver John Brown would be the perfect deep-threat compliment to Smith-Schuster. The addition of Brown would allow the Steelers to play Smith-Schuster in the slot in three-receiver sets, with Washington joining Brown on the outside. But he's likely to be too expensive. Same goes for the Chargers' Tyrell Williams.
Kansas City's Chris Conley could be a nice add in that respect. He'll be cheaper and if Washington beats him out to play in the majority of two-receiver sets, so be it. Same goes for guys such as Dontrelle Inman, Ryan Grant or Donte Moncrief, some of the other outside receivers available. Players such as Golden Tate or Adam Humphries don't fit as well because they are slot receivers. And the Steelers have two of those in Smith-Schuster and Switzer.
There's also the chance the Steelers' veteran receiver is still on someone else's roster. There will be players released as this offseason continues to unfold.
But there's little doubt getting rid of Brown will open up a huge hole in the Steelers' lineup.
• The Steelers made an interesting decision to go with Ramon Foster over Marcus Gilbert, especially since they weren't leaning in that direction as late as just a couple of days ago.
In the end, getting backing from Maurkice Pouncey and Ben Roethlisberger swayed the team's decision to retain Foster, who was scheduled to hit free agency at 33 years old. It also helped that Foster took a less-than-market deal of just over $4 million.
Some questioned the sixth-round draft pick the Steelers got in return for Gilbert, who had one year remaining on his contract. But sixth-round picks can be quite valuable in today's NFL. In fact, those fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks seem to be the going rate to acquire veteran players.
• Many fans will choose to remember Brown for the way things ended. But let's just remember for a second how things started for him in Pittsburgh.
Brown scored a touchdown on his first NFL touch in a game at Tennessee.
The very first play of @AB84’s NFL career?
A touchdown.
(Sept. 19, 2010) @steelers pic.twitter.com/X7AvZWo73U
— NFL Throwback (@nflthrowback) March 9, 2019
That was a big touchdown in Week 2 of the 2010 season. In fact, it was the Steelers' lone touchdown in a 19-11 win at Tennessee that gave the Steelers a 2-0 record. They would open the season 3-1, which was significant because Roethlisberger was suspended for the first four games of that season.
Brown was and is a special player on the football field.
• The Steelers won't make any additional hires on their coaching staff this year, with both offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and defensive coordinator Keith Butler serving in dual roles. Fichtner will once again serve as quarterbacks coach, while Butler will work with the outside linebackers.
Working with the outside linebackers isn't that big of a deal for Butler. The Steelers have people who can throw them passes and such when Butler is otherwise occupied.
But it seems to me that with two young quarterbacks on the roster behind Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers would be better served having a full-time quarterbacks coach around.
What better way to work on footwork and things like that with Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph on the side when things aren't busy for them in practice?
• So can the Steelers be better in 2019 without Brown on the roster? Considering they finished 2018 with nine wins, the bar is set pretty low, at least by Steelers standards.
Those thinking this team is going to be in some kind of rebuilding mode are way off base. After all, there aren't many teams out there that have six returning Pro Bowl players. And that doesn't even include Roethlisberger or cornerback Joe Haden, two players who have made the Pro Bowl in the past but did not last season.
The offensive line is still very good. Roethlisberger remains a top quarterback. And there is still enough weaponry on offense to be a dangerous team.
If the Steelers can add a couple of defensive playmakers, they will be back in the mix in the AFC this season.