The problem with ESPN’s “biggest question” in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense only improved during the 2018 offseason. By no means did they leave any questions floating around.

ESPN released the biggest question the Pittsburgh Steelers left on the table during the 2018 offseason. According to Jeremy Fowler, it wasn’t the tight end position, or anything to do with Le’Veon Bell. Instead, it was the trade of Martavis Bryant for a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

"“How will the Steelers support Antonio Brown in the passing game?” Fowler says. “JuJu Smith-Schuster must be part of the answer after a 917-yard rookie campaign. But the loss of Bryant as a safety magnet will affect Brown’s passing lanes unless rookie James Washington, tight end Vance McDonald and others keep defensive backs honest. Bryant was erratic, but his presence garnered the respect of defenses. That’s tough to replicate.”"

While it is true opposing defenses needed to worry about Bryant more than they will Washington, it doesn’t change that Smith-Schuster is now the team’s number two. He demands more respect than Bryant did, even in his second year.

After putting up nearly 1,000 yards in his rookie campagin, Smith-Schuster is looking to be a player teams need to scheme against. That removes some pressure from Brown, but it’s not the only player taking attention away from the All Pro receiver.

While Washington is yet to play an NFL down, he has all the skills to be a dominant threat from day one. A player with break away speed and reliable hands, Washington will catch the eye of defenses with his ability to be a deep threat. Whether he’s a rookie or not, you can’t leave a player of his caliber unattended to down the field with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback.

But the most important piece of the puzzle that Pittsburgh has now, is their backfield. Believe what you want about how many touches each back will receive, Pittsburgh should utilize all three of their runners throughout the season.

That means Le’Veon Bell is looking at catches (which was expected), but also Jaylen Samuels. That’s two options out of the backfield with track records of being just as productive in the passing game as the running game.

This offense didn’t leave questions, but got stronger. Antonio Brown doesn’t need to worry about teams drawing more or less attention to him. That has never stopped him before and it certainly won’t now.

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Add all the weapons this team has, tight end not even being mentioned, and you have an offense that can strike from anywhere. Brown doesn’t need to be the only one getting passes. Meaning when the rest of this team is flowing, defenses will have to pay attention to everyone. Leaving Brown, like usual, open to take full advantage of whoever is across from him.