The Pittsburgh Steelers need a leader at quarterback. Someone to show a young and developing offense what it takes to win. Super Bowls aren’t cemented in May but the foundation for any team in pursuit of them is laid each spring. In his first practice with the Steelers, Russell Wilson showed leaders go the extra mile.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly offered one example of the quick impression Wilson is making.
“He’s going out of his way to integrate himself with the team,” Kaboly told the show. “He’s trying to be in every event possible. He hangs out with the guys. He works like crazy. He was the last guy off the field yesterday on the first day [of] OTAs. He’s talking to wide receivers coaches. He’s talking to the OC [at] his locker. They see the work being put in there. So they very much respect him in that fact.”
Though the Steelers have left the door open to a quarterback competition between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and Fields isn’t resigning himself to being the backup, these signs indicate Wilson is highly likely to be the Week 1 starter. He was their first choice, the Steelers initially planning on signing Wilson to compete with Kenny Pickett right now. Once Pickett wanted out, the door opened to acquire another quarterback, leading the team to trade for Fields on the cheap. Pittsburgh wants a veteran who can oversee and manage one of the NFL’s youngest offenses last season, a unit that didn’t get much older in the offseason aside from adding a trio of low-level veteran wide receivers.
Wilson has embraced the leadership role on and off the field even as he gets adjusted to Arthur Smith’s system. In some respects, he’s a good fit with experience under center, competent off play-action, and mobility to be used on bootlegs and throwing on the move.
Kaboly believes Wilson is the right player at the right time for the Steelers.
“I think they’re all very, very happy to have that stable, calming voice,” he said. “And like I said, I think Mike Tomlin really enjoys that, too. He doesn’t have to worry about that stuff. He doesn’t have to worry about breaking in the rookie quarterback.”
Among active NFL quarterbacks, Wilson’s 188 starts are third-most, only trailing Aaron Rodgers’ 224 and Matthew Stafford’s 206. Based on how things are sounding early in spring ball, Wilson will add to that starting total with the Steelers in 2024.
