Here's how future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger can enhance his legacy

The chaos that engulfed the Steelers in recent years produced historically strange consequences. Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell's dramatic exits left the team in an odd place, and the criticism levied against the Steelers seemingly places Ben Roethlisberger in a difficult spot. 

Brown, Roethlisberger's best skill-position teammate, torched everything he could on his way out, prompting frequent critiques of the quarterback's leadership. Big Ben’s late 30s began with as notable an earthquake as a top-tier passer has endured in years.

But with the conclusion of this combustible period lies an opportunity for the future Hall of Famer. If Roethlisberger pilots the Steelers back to prominence, he will add significantly to his legacy, an opportunity perhaps unavailable had the all-drama "Killer B’s" core stayed together.

After March’s disastrous trade of Brown to the Raiders, an astounding 11 percent of Pittsburgh's 2019 payroll is committed to a player no longer on the roster. The deal went a long way toward the Steelers carrying the sixth-best odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIV and the team lagging well behind the Browns for AFC North buzz. Despite this bizarre off-season, the Steelers are uniquely qualified to navigate their central issue.

No other team can match Pittsburgh’s wideout-development acumen. The Steelers have been replacing starting receivers with draft choices throughout Kevin Colbert's 19-year GM tenure. They have moved on from Plaxico Burress, Antwaan Randle-El, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders. Replacements always emerged.

Of course, the caveat here is the organization had pass-catching staples -- in Hines Ward and Brown -- around to help develop prospects. But Pittsburgh, albeit through a reluctant baton pass, certainly looks to have identified another long-term starter in JuJu Smith-Schuster. The 22-year-old talent’s defense-adjusted yards above replacement figure (which attempts to measure a wideout’s overall value) was higher than Brown's last season. Of course, Smith-Schuster replicating his breakout year without defenses dealing with a four-time All-Pro is unexplored territory.

Replacing Brown will be Pittsburgh’s defining draft-and-develop task. He's a better player than each of the previous prime-years cogs sent away. Since Brown became a regular in 2011, Roethlisberger has only played three games without him -– one in 2012, one against the Texans in 2017 and last year’s dicey season-ender against the Bengals. It is difficult to peg how much Roethlisberger will be affected. Five of his six Pro Bowl invites came during Brown's time.

Roethlisberger can stand on his Super Bowl-era accomplishments, but those came with superior defenses backing him. In seven seasons before Brown’s run as a starter, Roethlisberger cleared 20 touchdown passes just twice. Did Brown make Ben a much better quarterback, or has he -– like Tom Brady -– progressed significantly in his 30s? Roethlisberger has three top-six Total QBR finishes since 2014 and none from 2008-13. As Smith-Schuster erupted last season, Roethlisberger established new benchmarks for touchdown passes (34) and passing yards (5,129). 

The Steelers’ batch of pass-catchers tasked with filling the Brown void each profile as the type of investment they have made in past situations. Second-  and third-round picks James Washington and Diontae Johnson and former Colts third-rounder/underachiever Donte Moncrief join slot receivers Ryan Switzer and Eli Rogers as aspiring Smith-Schuster sidekicks. If the Steelers -– who made a living on non-first-round receiver finds over the past decade -– replace Brown, it will be a group effort. 

While alpha wideouts are not mandatory for Super Bowl contention, the Steelers need their defensive acquisitions to make immediate impacts. The addition of linebackers Devin Bush (first round) and Mark Barron  (free agent) constitutes an actual effort to replace Ryan Shazier, after an unsatisfactory 2018 attempt. Steven Nelson, on an NFL-high 1,308 snaps last year, showed flashes of respectable play (a top-35 cornerback in the view of Pro Football Focus) in Kansas City. Recent Steelers defenses have fallen short in big spots. Bell and Brown played key bailout roles. Less offensive talent will impede similar escape routes.

The Steelers’ history of receiver reloads aside, Pittsburgh has a lot to overcome. This drama transpiring during Roethlisberger’s early or mid-30s would be different. At 37, he is probably not traversing a Brady- or Drew Brees-type trajectory -- despite his recent contract extension. The spate of nagging injuries Roethlisberger suffered may deter him from remaining at a Pro Bowl level much longer. This is a crucial Steelers season. Major Big Ben regression will point Pittsburgh toward a begrudging rebuild.

However, if the past does prove relevant (and Pittsburgh’s defense changes course), Roethlisberger will have a chance to separate himself from his class of 2004 brethren. Probably residing somewhere between the Brady-Brees-Aaron Rodgers tier and the Philip Rivers-Eli Manning duo, the two-time Super Bowl champion can climb closer to this generation’s QB icons by remaining on track without Hall of Fame-caliber weaponry.

Even if Big Ben’s days winning Super Bowls are over, guiding this embattled Steelers edition back to the playoffs would quiet critics and distance the franchise from a turbulent (and unfulfilling) era. That would be an atypical achievement from a quarterback associated with so much success, but scant precedent exists in NFL history for the circumstances Roethlisberger is navigating. The Browns being pegged as the primary obstacle adds to the weirdness.

This year’s Steelers do not have the headline-drivers past iterations did, though they are bound to generate a few based on social media from the relocated superstars. But how their quarterback picks up the pieces will be fascinating.