Will Mike Tomlin give Russell Wilson a longer leash than he did Mitch Trubisky?
All the way back in 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky, and by most accounts cemented him as a starter. At least, they intended for him to start at the beginning of the season. No doubt they intended for him to start more than four games, but the quality of his play and the overall struggles of the offense helped force Mike Tomlin’s hand. He pulled Trubisky then and there in favor of then-rookie Kenny Pickett.
The Steelers have no shiny new rookie on the roster this year, but they have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Depending on who you ask, Wilson is the starter just as Trubisky was in 2022, but how does Fields’ stature compare? They like Fields, of course, but they didn’t go out of their way to get him.
Let’s say the Steelers get off to a 1-2 start and Wilson clearly isn’t helping matters. They’re on their way to losing another game. Is Tomlin going to yank Wilson at halftime the way he did to Trubisky? Of course, we can’t anticipate a one-for-one parallel of two years ago, but under similar circumstances, is the response similar?
We can’t answer these questions now, and I think it’s because they don’t currently have answers. For all we know, Fields actually wins the starting job outright at the beginning of the season. Or perhaps he looks rough and Wilson looks rejuvenated.
Perhaps the offense is merely average, with an average running game in support, and the defense isn’t winning games. What if they’re at least moving the ball and picking up first downs and perhaps approaching 20 points by themselves? Let’s not forget that the offense in regulation put up 13, 14, and 17 points in their first three games in 2022.
I can’t imagine that the offense is as bad as that, needing heroics from the defense on a weekly basis just to stay in the game. At the very least, the running game should start off better than it has the past two years. And as long as they’re managing to win and Wilson isn’t actively losing games, I don’t think we’re going to see Fields in the starting lineup.
But the Steelers didn’t expect the 2022 season to start off as it did, either. So what does Tomlin do if the Wilson era—if indeed there is one—starts off with similar ineptitude? How long does he stick with that?
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
