4 reasons Pittsburgh Steelers might be surprise team in AFC

The Cleveland Browns are the presumed AFC North champion in many corners. The Baltimore Ravens are the defending divisional champs. Nobody is talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh has somehow been forgotten. Perhaps it’s because we saw star running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown allowed to leave for new opportunities. Maybe it’s Ben Roethlisberger entering the twilight of his career. Maybe it’s hoping for a change in the standings, with pundits and opposing fans sick of the black and gold being a factor.

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Whatever it is, the thought is premature. The Pittsburgh Steelers remain a threat, and here are a few reasons why:

4. Big Ben remains one of the best QBs alive

Age hasn’t caught up with Roethlisberger yet. The 37-year-old won the passing crown a year ago, throwing for a career-best 5,129 yards while completing 67 percent of his throws. There’s no reason to think Roethlisberger is suddenly going to fall off, especially behind one of the best lines in the NFL.

3. JuJu Smith-Schuster is ready for this

Smith-Schuster is entering a different phase of his career. The former second-round pick has always enjoyed the presence of Brown, allowing him to remain single-covered while Brown dealt with double-teams and safety help over the top. Now, it’s the youngster’s turn. Still, we’ve seen Smith-Schuster evolve, notching 58 catches and 917 yards as a rookie before totaling 111 receptions for 1,426 yards with seven touchdowns. He’s easily a top-10 receiver and might prove more than that.

2. The emergence of Devin Bush

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded up 10 spots to land Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. So far, it looks like a wise move. Bush has terrific speed and brings thump as the inside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme, giving the Steelers someone who can potentially fill the enormous shoes of Ryan Shazier. For decades, Pittsburgh has been known for its tremendous linebackers from Jack Ham and Jack Lambert to Greg Lloyd and Joey Porter. Perhaps Bush can follow.

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1. Addition by subtraction

Bell and Brown are two of the best players in football. Bell has a chance to go to the Hall of Fame one day. Brown will almost certainty be enshrined. However, it was time for Pittsburgh to move. Bell sat out all of the 2018 season in hopes of a long-term deal. Brown was nothing but a headache — albeit a very productive one — last season. There’s no arguing the Steelers are going to struggle to replace the stats of Brown, but with James Washington entering his second year and Smith-Schuster being a stud, it’s not devastating.