Brown and Bell

[BUS36]

I say the both need to be gone..trade both and acquire draft picks. In both their cases ..do you think that both will try the crap they have pulled down the road with their new teams?

[Danchat]

Just let Bell go, already. Nobody will trade for him because they know he won't sign the franchise/transition tag with Pittsburgh, so just let him hit free agency. James Connor is a fine replacement.

Losing Antonio Brown hurts, but it appears he absolutely doesn't want to be back. Having that $21M cap hit for trading him is going to hurt a ton, but at least Smith-Schuster looks like a legit #1 WR. They'll need some more firepower at WR.

[ultimatum77]

Let Mike Tomlin go. Find another coach who can control the locker room. Keep both Bell and Brown. The Steelers went from contending in the playoffs to missing them last year and without those two difference makers that offense will lack firepower except for smith-schuster. Talk about a dramatic meltdown. Brown and Bell are talents the Steelers should want to keep even though they complain they are talents that will be hard to replicate in the immediate future without grooming draft picks for 3-4 years which Ben Roethlisberger just doesn't have time to wait that long. I don't think Roethlisberger is conditioned as well as Brady to play deep into his 40's. I say by age 39 he hangs em up because he's kind of chunky/fat. I know I will draw the ire of steelers fans but look at brady and roethlisberger. The appearance and performance doesn't lie one is conditioned well the other has.... well average conditioning at best. That all being said I think the Steelers window for another superbowl closes if they let both go. It will still remain open if they keep one and trade the other but I think they should definately keep Brown and trade Bell. Wr's with good hands like Brown are hard to find in the league. Conner is a more than respectable replacement for Bell imo. The age of mega contracts for RB no longer exists because it is a passing league now.

[BUS36]

I think what is going to happen is Bell will get Transition Tag and then allowed to go...Brown will go to either the 49ers or the Green Pay Packers.......Conner proved he is a number #1 RB. His style of running is better suited for the Steelers, along with Jaylen Samuels that will be an effective 1-2 punch. Over the last 10 years the Steelers have become the wiz at getting WR in the draft..JuJu is a #1WR and I can see that James Washington show the big play capability and then there is Vance McDonald.. The Steelers will be alright offensively....with this years FA market and Draft heavy on defense..I see an all defense draft for the Steelers

[TeeNice]

Both players are unhappy and won't perform to their top level. So at best trade both, get what they can. Get picks, build depth on defense. Then invest in a new qb and get Casey some playmates. I agree that Juju is a No,1 wr. Conner is servicable for now. He's not the answer long term.

[jose21crisis]

I'd say the offense will be A-OK without either Bell or AB. JuJu seems to a) Seems to be a true WR1 and b) As of now doesn't seem to be a guy that will turn into a drama queen (He reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald in a way). The main problem will be who is WR2 (Probably James Washington if he does what he did during the end of last season. If not, then Eli Rogers.) Conner did prove to be a pretty good RB (He does have issues, like the fumbles and some drops ... on the other hand, he runs over people and prefers plowing forward instead of looking for a bigger hole while linemen close in. Bell inverts this.), and Samuels is shaping up as a good chance of pace back as well. Then we have McDonald and James, who are not Gronk and Hernandez back in the day, but they are pretty good. Honestly, as long as Ben plays good (Better than last season) and the O-Line gives him days to throw the ball, the offense will be alright.

More concerning is the defense, like who's going to be the starting CBs come next season. Haden's contract is up, Burns has ... not been that great, Sensabaugh has ... not been great nor terrible, Hilton is a slot corner (The best blitzing corner too), Sutton seems like a younger Sensabaugh, and the recent DB draft decisions have been ... not great ... at least CB decisions (Sean Davis has turned around). Also, who will line up on the other side of T.J. Watt.

[BUS36]

jose21crisis..I agree that it is the defense I worry about. I see that the draft for the Steelers could go ..MLB-CB-CB-S-OLB-Dl-LB.

The need to replace Shazier is still a priority..Michigan's Devin Bush is a likely candidate to be the #1 pick. With this draft heavy in the Defense department it will be the way to go.

I don't understand why people think that Conner can not be a #1 RB. Remember in his sophomore year he was the ACC player of the year. Led the ACC in rushing and then his junior year at Pitt, was devasting in an ACL tear and then Cancer. His senior year he started slow, but at the end he started to come on.
His Rookie year hurt during training camp, because of Bell did not get on the field that much, but had a 4.5 rushing avg. If not for the ankle injury vs the Chargers he would have had atleast a 1200 yard season and maybe 14-16 TDs. Again he finished with 12rushing TDs and 1 receiving TD in 12 games. Plus he needed only 27 yards more for 1000 while missing those 4 games. But the biggest thing is he is a humble player that is grateful for the chance to play.