In this free agency cycle, two of the biggest quarterback names that were on the move were Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons and Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both are former Pro Bowl quarterbacks who have question marks entering this season with Cousins coming off an Achilles injury and Wilson coming off two down years for the Denver Broncos which resulted in him being cut.
The other day on Pro Football Talk on NFL on NBC’s YouTube page, Chris Simms was asked which quarterback, Cousins or Wilson, he expects to eclipse their expectations.
“I’m gonna go with Russell Wilson to eclipse expectations over Kirk Cousins,” said Simms. “First off, I think the expectations are higher for Kirk Cousins, that’s the biggest thing. And then I feel like with the injury I’m a little hesitant there. I think people are not sure what to expect with Russell Wilson. He’s certainly not as shiny and like a hot-button ‘Oh wow he can turn the team around type of guy right now,’ and Kirk Cousins is that guy, oddly enough…I’m gonna go with Russell Wilson just because the bar is a little bit lower in those expectations.”
Cousins is coming off only half a season where he threw for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and only five interceptions, but at 35 recovering from a torn Achilles, it is a legitimate question on how well he will play post-injury.
Wilson on the other hand, although cut from the Broncos, did not have a bad season by any means. He touched back last year, throwing for 3,020 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions in 15 games. Wilson was on a mega contract and the Broncos did not want to pay that money for an aging quarterback they did not see getting back to his past glory.
The narrative around Wilson because of his Broncos tenure, is that he is “washed.” The general consensus among most football fans is that the Steelers are likely Wilson’s last chance as a starter and some even argue he should be a backup behind QB Justin Fields. The expectations for Wilson are not very high outside of Steelers Nation. That is why, in comparison to Cousins who many think will return to pre-injury form, it may be easier for Wilson to eclipse his expectations.
Although Simms picked Wilson as more likely to eclipse expectations, it is clear he also sees Cousins as the quarterback with higher expectations. Really, the expectations around Wilson are to be a bit better than QB Kenny Pickett, which should not be hard to do as in two seasons, Pickett threw 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Wilson showed last year that even when he wasn’t at his best he could still throw touchdowns and put points on the board, something Pickett could not due.
The expectations for Wilson are low, but that isn’t a bad thing so long as he surpasses them.
