Editor’s note: The building of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers is about to begin.

NFL free agency starts March 18. The NFL Draft begins April 23.

So we have been taking a look at some of the things the Steelers have told us about what they plan to do this offseason and if we believe them.

Or if we think they are blowing smoke.

Over the last few days we have examined the club’s grand vision for Ben Roethlisberger’s recovery, their perceived confidence in the quarterback depth chart behind him, and their stated goal of prioritizing a way to keep outside linebacker Bud Dupree.

Now we try to figure out if the Steelers truly mean it when they say that they have “moved on” from troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown. Or if they’d ever consider a reunion with their former All-Pro because of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s inability to step up as a No. 1 wide receiver so far.

Quotes from Tomlin, Colbert and Rooney on Antonio Brown

Mike Tomlin on Brown during ESPN’s “First Take” (Feb. 17)

“I’ll say this: once a Steeler, always a Steeler. We had great success over the course of nine-plus years…

“We will always be interested in his development as a man, and we will be open to assisting him in that. But we have no current business interest at this time.”

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert at the NFL Combine (Feb. 25)

“We’re always going to be concerned about Antonio Brown, the person. We have moved on from Antonio Brown, and Coach Tomlin addressed that the last time he spoke with the media. We’re worried about Antonio Brown, the person. He will always be a Steeler in that regard, but in that regard only.”

Art Rooney II on JuJu Smith-Schuster (Jan. 21)

“It was a tough season to evaluate with the different quarterbacks and some of JuJu’s injuries so it’s a tough season to evaluate from a lot of different standpoints. Obviously we still think highly of JuJu and still think he’s going to be an outstanding player in the league moving forward and we will address the contract situation when it’s appropriate.”

Believe it or not?

Believe it. Absolutely believe it.

Why we should believe it

It amazes me how often the notion of Brown coming back to Pittsburgh crops up as a point of conversation.

And it’s not just national talk show fodder from a distance either. I was still getting phone calls about that idea on the CW’s “Nightly Sports Call” as recently as last week.

Tomlin’s “First Take” quotes were a bit misconstrued and taken out of context by some initially.

Did he leave the door open for a return of Brown with that “once a Steeler always a Steeler” comment?

Sure. In the same way I suppose it’s possible the Pirates could win the World Series this year, a No. 16 seed could go on to win the NCAA basketball tournament, or I could finally hit that growth spurt I’ve been waiting for all these years.

But Tomlin was much more likely leaving a path open for reconciliation with the franchise in his retirement years as opposed to coming back on the active roster.

Even though the Steelers need help at wide receiver given Smith-Schuster’s injury-plagued, ineffective 2019 campaign, Rooney didn’t exactly bathe Smith-Schuster in confidence with his failure to assure that a contract for the fourth-year receiver was on the way, either.

Combine that with Brown’s occasional attempts to mend fences with Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the organization, and some on the internet put two-and-two together and wondered if that may get #84 back in Black and Gold.

Forget it.

Maybe that’s why Colbert — not exactly known for being declarative and direct in his statements — felt the need to be so open-and-shut in Indianapolis.

As talented as Brown still may be, he is definitely every bit as unpredictable, toxic and combustible.

The Steelers don’t need to revisit that predicament, no matter how questionable their receiving situation may be.

Frankly, if Roethlisberger returns as healthy as they claim he will, those pass catchers will suddenly start to look a lot better.

Because the passes may actually become more catchable than what we saw last year from Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges.

Do they actually believe it?

Yes.

And even if management doesn’t, I bet the quarterback feels that way after the way Brown went after him on social media for over a year.

Let Brown be Tom Brady’s problem if he wants him so badly.

In New England or … wherever.

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