James Conner on Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell Exits: We're Going to Be Just Fine

The Pittsburgh Steelers departed with two of the most talented offensive players in football this offseason, trading wide receiver Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders and watching running back Le'Veon Bell sign with the New York Jets after he held out for the entirety of the 2018 season. 

But running back James Conner isn't worried.

"It's early. All we had was OTAs, but OTAs were going smooth, the offense was clicking," he said, addressing the loss of Brown and Bell, per Steelers Depot. "All our top guys were there. We'll see. I think we're going to be just fine. No diss to those guys. It's been awesome, though, playing for each other."

Conner then upped the ante, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

"Not guaranteeing nothing but I think we have a great chance of going all the way. That's what we play for, that's why we show up every day, that's the ultimate goal, is to get a ring. I know that's a lot of people don't think that we can do it, with the pieces that we lost, and just counting us out.

"We don't mind it, though. We know that they're counting us out, but that's why I said we're going to shock them because I don't think they expect us to do what we're about to do this year."

The Steelers, at least, have solid heir apparents at both running back and wideout in Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

The former rushed for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns in 13 games last season, adding 55 receptions for 497 yards and an additional score. The latter caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. Conner is only 24, while Smith-Schuster is even younger at 22. 

With those two players in tow, the future is bright. But what about the present?

The Cleveland Browns loaded up this offseason and appear to be a true contender behind second-year quarterback Sam Bradford, the first true franchise player they've had at the position since Bernie Kosar.

The Baltimore Ravens were a playoff team last season and will once again feature a stout defense and the Lamar Jackson, who changed the team's offense for the better with his running ability but still needs to improve as a passer.

Both of those teams will be a major threat to the Steelers in the AFC North, especially a season after the team went 9-6-1 but missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013. But last season was also rife with drama, from Bell's holdout to Brown's issues with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that became public. 

These Steelers will enter the 2019 season under the radar, with less expectations than years past. It's hard to call them major contenders in a conference that features truly excellent teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. 

But in Conner and Smith-Schuster, the Steelers nonetheless have hope.