The Pittsburgh Steelers look like a team ready for a bounceback after two disappointing seasons. But between now and the start of the regular season the coaches still have plenty of things to sort out if they want to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. Here are the three big questions Pittsburgh must answer.
Is Big Ben Back, and if not, then what?
Despite a mid-season push, the Steelers season ended in Week Two when franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. The defense made a valiant effort to keep the team in the season but in the end there was no quarterback on the roster who could approach the talent of Roethlisberger. All indications this offseason have been that Big Ben is back on the road to full health and even hopes to be better than before.
Roethlisberger led the NFL is passing yards in 2018 with 5,128 and despite being 38 years old is playing his best football. If Roethlisberger isn’t healthy or cannot get back to 100 percent it could mean a long season and a third straight absence from the playoffs. If Pittsburgh has to count on QB Mason Rudolph to lead the team for an extended period of time again, it is hard to see the Steelers keeping pace with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.