Ben showing Steelers arm strength no issue

The 2020 NFL regular season is on the horizon, and the Steelers' success, or failures, very well could fall on the arm of Ben Roethlisberger. After having his elbow reconstructed after Week 2 of the 2019 season, the Steelers are built to contend if the offense can score more points than the 18.1 points per game they averaged last year.

The fact the offense never scored 30 points in a game should be a clear indicator of how the offense needs their quarterback back on the field, but the big question entering 2020 isn't if Roethlisberger will return, he will, but how effective will he be? Will he be able to make all the throws elite NFL quarterbacks need to make?

If the answer to the last question is yes, the Steelers' offense should be vastly improved just by Roethlisberger stepping under center.

With no minicamps or OTAs, videos of Roethlisberger throwing have been scarce. Fans are left to rely on quotes from Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert and teammates, all of who will toe the company line as it pertains to answers on Roethlisberger's health. For those who have been working out with Roethlisberger during the coronavirus quarantine, his arm is looking healthy and strong as ever.

“He looks great, the ball was whistling,” James Conner said during a segment on ESPN. “He’s confident. He works so hard to get back to where he’s playing confident. We’re just excited for him. That’s our guy. We’re just so thankful that we’ve got our quarterback. He has Super Bowl rings and that’s what we all want to do. He leads by example going out and organizing things. It’s been awesome to be back there with him.”

“You’re getting a version that we all expect that he will be at. He’s back,” JuJu Smith-Schuster told NFL.com. “He’s doing what he’s doing. He’s throwing NFL passes, there’s nothing more to that. I’m excited, James Conner is excited, Ryan Switzer is excited. We’re doing things, we’re supposed to be doing.

“And with the great defense we had last year, and this upcoming season I can’t wait to play with him.”

After a 2019 season where the offense stumbled with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges at quarterback, getting Roethlisberger back could be what gets the Steelers into the postseason for the first time in three years.

“Honestly, I think it’s going to be a big year for us,” Smith-Schuster said. “I was very happy with the draft picks we got, being able to draft a running back, being able to draft [Chase] Claypool. Good defense. We already had a solid defense. Our missing piece was Ben. I think coming up this year, it’s going to be a great year for us. . . . Just wait. Honestly, I just gotta say just wait and let our pads do the talking.”

Roethlisberger is the key to the Steelers' puzzle, and if the reports coming from the organization and teammates are true, the Steelers should be contenders, not pretenders, in 2020.