The news that QB Russell Wilson is meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers has captured the attention of just about everybody. Pittsburgh’s need for competent quarterback play is well-documented. The question is whether Wilson can provide that spark in conjunction with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to take the Steelers to the next level. After all, he threw 26 touchdowns last season which is more than the Steelers threw combined in the last two seasons.
The Athletic’s Nate Tice isn’t too keen on that idea. On Friday’s episode of The Athletic Football Show, Tice and Robert Mays previewed the upcoming free agency frenzy. Part of that was a discussion on Wilson.
“I think it’s eh,” Tice said. “Russ doesn’t work over the middle, and that’s what Arthur Smith wants from his quarterbacks…These are the quarterbacks in Arthur Smith’s offense since 2019. Tannehill, 12.5 percent of the time. Matt Ryan, 2021, 15 percent of the time in Atlanta. Marcus Mariota, 15.3 percent of the time. Desmond Ridder, just under 12 percent. Last year, Russ, 5.8 percent of the time he threw the ball over the middle. Dead last in the NFL.”
After the news broke that Arthur Smith would become the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator, Reception Perception creator Matt Harmon said that the hire would be especially good for WRs George Pickens and Diontae Johnson. That’s because they would see a massive jump in routes that targeted the middle of the field. Those routes are more efficient and have a greater chance for big plays. Former offensive coordinator Matt Canada did not attack the middle of the field with any regularity, which harmed the passing offense.
The problem that Tice highlighted is that Wilson didn’t attack the middle of the field with any regularity in 2023. So that could be a massive schematic issue. Was Wilson unable to target the middle of the field? Was he unwilling to do so? Or were his best matchups outside the numbers? It certainly bears watching as the Steelers and Wilson sit down and chat.
