After trading Brown, where do the Steelers go next?

This is new territory for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A model NFL franchise for the better part of the past half century, the Steelers have drawn nothing but bad press since the end of the 2018 regular season.

The airing of dirty laundry began with the benching of Antonio Brown, continued with Brown and general manager Kevin Colbert's back-and-forth through the media, and finally culminated Sunday with the agreed upon trade that will send Brown to the Oakland Raiders.

Even the trade doesn't put the team in a good light, as Pittsburgh shipped the best receiver in football to an old in-conference rival for a pair of mid-round picks, all while taking on $21 million in dead money. These aren't the Steelers we've come to know.

While the melodrama may be over with the trading of Brown - and the impending free-agent departure of Le'Veon Bell - where does Pittsburgh go from here?

Forced to pick sides between Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when their relationship dissolved at the close of the regular season, the Steelers chose the elder statesman and let it be known Big Ben's the unquestioned leader of the team.

Though he's flirted with retirement in seasons past, the Steelers intend to sign the 37-year-old signal-caller to a contract extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh past next season.

However, for the first time since 2012, Roethlisberger will go it without his fellow Killer Bs. The offense will now feature James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster, youngsters entering their third seasons in the NFL. While both have impressed early in their careers, there's reason to believe they could falter as the offensive focal points.

Conner, 23, was a revelation early in 2018, but his production slipped as the season wore on, as evidenced by his per game averages before and after Week 10:

Though Conner maintained his average yards per carry, his usage took a considerable dip in the second half of the season.

Injuries played a large part - he picked up a concussion in Week 10 and missed three games battling leg ailments later in the year - but too much may have been expected of him in his first campaign as the unquestioned starter.

Smith-Schuster had a monster season, leading Pittsburgh receivers with 111 catches and 1,426 yards and winning the team MVP award. However, even he admitted much of his work came with an All-Pro teammate drawing double- and triple-teams.

Smith-Schuster won't have that luxury going forward. He'll now be expected to take over the No. 1 receiver role, one that might force him from his spot in the slot.

As the second option in the passing game, Smith-Schuster saw the majority of his targets (92 of 166) from the slot. Though he won't have to share looks with Brown, there currently isn't a reliable second option to share the attention from opposing defenses. Ryan Switzer had but 36 grabs for 253 yards in 2018, and James Washington had 16 catches in 14 games.

Aside from these in-house options, the Steelers will have to get creative to replace the losses of Brown and Bell.

The team will enter free agency with roughly $16 million in cap space, according to Overthecap.com, a figure that will make it difficult for Pittsburgh to add a difference-making receiver.

It's far more likely the Steelers will keep to tradition and add to the position through the draft. Despite their glaring defensive needs, they'll need to expend a premium pick on a receiver once again.

The Steelers' history in developing wideouts is well-documented. Since 2000, they've drafted and developed Plaxico Burress, Antwaan Randle El, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Martavis Bryant, and Smith-Schuster to varying degrees of stardom.

With 10 total picks in the draft - including the 20th overall pick, the third- and fifth-round picks from the Brown trade, and the sixth-round pick acquired by sending Marcus Gilbert to Arizona - Pittsburgh could find the next Brown, a former sixth-round selection, or Bell, a former second-round pick.

Regardless of what transpires this offseason, the Steelers are set to enter the 2019 season with lower expectations than they've seen in years. Formerly an AFC title contender, Pittsburgh will be hard-pressed to fend off the Baltimore Ravens and ascending Cleveland Browns in their own division.

But muted expectations may not be such a bad thing. The Steelers can look to the Seattle Seahawks as a template for how to handle such a scenario.

After the losses of Jimmy Graham, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and Legion of Boom members Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, not much was expected of the Seahawks in 2018. Yet, under the leadership of a veteran quarterback in Russell Wilson, Seattle surprised with a 10-6 season and a trip to the playoffs.

There should be a lot less drama in Pittsburgh next season. They'll feel the sting of losing their two fantasy and reality stars, but they should no longer be able to keep up with the Kardashians.