Big Ben happy Steelers have returned to 'normalcy' after recent drama

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the NFL's soap opera over the last two seasons in large part due to the drama surrounding stars Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown and their eventual departures from the team.

Ben Roethlisberger is the lone "Killer B" left standing in Pittsburgh, and the veteran quarterback is enjoying the lack of controversy surrounding the AFC North club.

"It's been a little crazy the last few years, maybe more so than usual that we're used to dealing with," Roethlisberger said, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "To kind of get back to quote-unquote normalcy is kind of nice."

Bell signed with the New York Jets in free agency, finally receiving the big-money extension he failed to convince the Steelers to hand over after holding out for the entire 2018 campaign.

Meanwhile, Antonio Brown was traded to the Oakland Raiders amid a public falling out with Roethlisberger and a breakdown in his relationship with the team over his decision to sit out the regular-season finale.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is set to take over as the Steelers' No. 1 target, while James Conner is likely to remain the featured back after rushing for 1,117 yards last season during Bell's absence.

However, Roethlisberger knows Pittsburgh will need everyone on offense to step up in order to replace the two All-Pro talents.

"I'm excited, I really am excited in what we have," Roethlisberger said. "We put a lot of work in, that's what it's going to take, it's going to take a team effort. We're all going to give everything we have and see where it goes. We can't predict the future, but we can predict we're going to give everything we have."

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