In the eyes of many, the Pittsburgh Steelers significantly upgraded their quarterback room with the moves made during the first week of free agency. But a significant upgrade from Kenny Pickett, a bottom-five QB, doesn’t mean the QB situation is viewed as being particularly stable. Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are castaways from their previous teams, after all.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin released a list of QB power rankings, and Wilson, the projected Week 1 starter, was in the bottom half of the league at No. 19.
“Settling for a one-year, prove-it deal as one part of the Steelers ‘ quarterback makeover, Wilson’s experience makes him a safe bet to open as QB1 over Justin Fields,” Benjamin wrote. “He’s also wired for an old-school, play-action-style offense like the one Arthur Smith is set to deploy.”
It is well-documented that Wilson struggled over the last two years with the Denver Broncos, but he actually had a fairly good statistical season in 2023. He completed 297 passes on 447 attempts (66.4 completion percentage) for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also chipped in another 341 rushing yards on 80 attempts for another three touchdowns. Most would have killed for that type of production from the Steelers’ QBs last season.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has a solid track record as a coordinator with bringing out the most from his quarterbacks, helping Ryan Tannehill to his best career seasons back in 2019 and 2020 and his lone Pro Bowl appearance.
This placement puts Wilson at the bottom of the strong AFC North QB group with Lamar Jackson at No. 6, Joe Burrow at No. 4, and Deshaun Watson at No. 17.
The power rankings actually show one reason why the Steelers’ schedule is going to be so tough this season. Of the 17 scheduled 2024 opponents, there will be just five games against quarterbacks who are ranked lower on this list than Wilson. Those teams are the Washington Commanders with Jayden Daniels, the Indianapolis Colts with Anthony Richardson, the New York Giants with Daniel Jones, the Denver Broncos with Bo Nix, and the Las Vegas Raiders with Gardner Minshew II. And three of those quarterbacks are rookies or second-year players who could very well outperform their placement.
