5 burning questions the Steelers must answer in 2019

1. Who will replace Antonio Brown?

Brown might have been a nightmare for the Steelers in their own locker room, but he was a nightmare for opponents on the field. Pittsburgh has to find a way to replace the 15 receiving touchdowns he gave them last season.

The natural expectation is for JuJu Smith-Schuster to up his level of production. The only problem with that line of thinking is that he was already very prolific last season. He lagged behind Brown in terms of touchdowns, but he actually led the team with 111 catches for 1,416 yards. It’s hard to imagine him increasing those numbers drastically given the fact that he’ll be a marked man for opposing secondaries.

Instead, it’s up to the other guys in the receiving corps to step up their game. James Washington is probably the guy who’s going to need to increase his production the most. He projects as the player who will step into the starting lineup as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver. He doesn’t need to equal Smith-Schuster’s production from last season, but he’s going to need to post above-average numbers for a starting NFL wideout if this offense is going to continue to hum.

Don’t count out a mild jump in Vance McDonald’s production from the tight end position either. Both he and rookie wideout Diontae Johnson are guys who could really benefit statistically from Brown’s departure. The Steelers have the talent to overcome losing Brown, but they’ll need increased contributions from several players.