Turns out Ben Roethlisberger never had a concussion

Ben Roethlisberger was originally reported to be in concussion protocol after taking a hit in practice, but apparently there’s nothing to worry about.

The Pittsburgh Steelers revolve around Ben Roethlisberger. Everyone can talk all they’d like about Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Le’Veon Bell, but none of them matter much if Roethlisberger is in street clothes on Sunday.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Roethlisberger had to go into the league’s concussion protocol after being hit accidentally during practice. However, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Big Ben didn’t sustain a concussion and should be good to go once the real games begin.

Last year, the oft-injured Roethlisberger was able to stay healthy and started 15 games, only sitting in a meaningless Week 17 contest against the Cleveland Browns. The 36-year-old started slow but had a quality campaign, tossing 28 touchdowns while racking up 4,251 yards.

Going into this year, the offense must continue to be the engine in Pittsburgh. The Steelers did little to upgrade the defense despite losing middle linebacker Ryan Shazier for the season and perhaps his career, after the two-time Pro Bowler suffered a horrifying neck/spine injury in December against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Pittsburgh is the heavy favorite to win the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and Bengals both appearing to be mediocre. The Browns are 1-31 in their last 32 games, which says more than enough.

The Steelers have two preseason games remaining and while we might see Roethlisberger next week, he’ll be shut down regardless for the fourth tilt.