Ben Roethlisberger opens up about Antonio Brown: 'I assumed he would be here' in 2019

The Pittsburgh Steelers will look significantly different in 2019 than they have in recent memory.

The widely publicized departures of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown left the Steelers without two of the biggest offensive weapons that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has relied on.

While Bell's exit seemed increasingly likely throughout the season as he sat out in hopes of a long-term contract ahead of his impending free agency, Roethlisberger recently revealed that he "assumed" Brown would remain with the team.

"I assumed he would be here," he told Andrea Kremer.

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The relationship between the two was reportedly rocky due to Roethlisberger's habit of calling Brown out during team meetings, which led the wide receiver to skip practices.

The quarterback has said he regrets his treatment of Brown, saying it "ruined a friendship" — but in a now-deleted tweet, Brown seemed to imply that a friendship was never there to begin with.

Roethlisberger, to his credit, has owned up to his own role in the "distractions" his team faced over the 2018 season.

"Being a leader is about winning football games," he explained. "I wasn't a good enough leader last year."

Watch the video above for more on how Roethlisberger believes Pittsburgh can move on without its former offensive superstars.