As the post-Antonio Brown era begins in Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger is ready to step it up.
Following a tumultuous offseason, in which Brown openly feuded with his former quarterback as he demanded a trade from the Steelers, Roethlisberger is ready to give the 2019 season his all and hopes the remaining receiving corps can, too.
The last time Roethlisberger didn’t throw the ball to Antonio Brown at least 150 times in a season was 2012.
“Gonna be hard to make up for that,” Roethlisberger told reporters Friday at training camp. “But I’m gonna do my best to still bring my A game and I know we’ve got other guys on this team that are ready to step up and bring everything they can to the table.”
Juju Smith-Schuster is poised to step into Brown’s shoes after earning his first Pro Bowl nod last year with a 1,426-yard campaign. Roethlisberger, who also lost running back Le’Veon Bell to the Jets, can also rely on fellow wideouts Eli Rogers, James Washington and Ryan Switzer. Tight end Vance McDonald will have to step up as well, with Jesse James joining the Lions.
Meanwhile, Brown will also be spending part of his first training camp in Oakland getting ready for his close-up, as the Raiders are set to appear on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” next month.