Despite making the playoffs last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers struggled throughout the season, mostly because of their awful quarterback play. All three players they trotted out at quarterback had their own deficiencies that resulted in the Steelers losing games. Not all of the blame should fall on their shoulders, but in today’s NFL, a great quarterback can hide a lot of issues, while a bad one exposes them. This offseason, the Steelers sought to fix that issue, signing former Pro Bowl quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. The only question left is if Wilson can return to form with the Steelers after struggling with the Broncos, and that’s exactly the topic two lead analysts at Pro Football Focus debated.
Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo are two of PFF’s lead analysts, and in during appearance on The 33rd Team’s YouTube channel, they debated whether Wilson can look more like his Seahawks self than his Denver self. Monson took the stance that, yes, Wilson can once again reach that Pro Bowl level and will be a player the Steelers win because of, not in spite of, as a result of Arthur Smith’s offense.
“You can paint two very different pictures. Either it’s the perfect system to get Russell Wilson back where he wants to go because it likes to use a lot of play action, likes to target deep down the field, likes to make the quarterback’s job easier,” Monson said. “You get a Tennessee Ryan Tannehill bump out of him. Or, it likes to target the middle of the field and it’s actually the worst system you can put Russell Wilson in because that’s where he’s never targeted, even when he was playing at his very best. I think, overall, the balance for me would say, ‘Yeah, this is a good system for Russell Wilson to be in.’ I like a really good bounce back season for Russell Wilson.”
The Tennessee Tannehill comparison is one that many Steelers fans should hope Smith can replicate with Wilson, as Tannehill’s career looked completely over in 2019 when he was traded to the Titans for basically nothing. However, with Smith as his offensive coordinator, he would actually play the best football of his career, putting up career-highs in almost every major passing stat while also severely limiting his turnovers. This career rejuvenation helped the Titans reach the AFC Championship Game, and if Smith can work that magic with Wilson, perhaps the Steelers can reach those same heights.
Palazzolo took the opposite stance, stating that he doesn’t believe Wilson will succeed in Pittsburgh because the Steelers lack the necessary weapons for him to perform well.
“My concern with Pittsburgh right now is the receiving corps getting a little bit depleted,” Palazzolo said. “George Pickens was a really good high-end number two. Is there too much pressure on him as the number one? Are they going to use the tight ends enough? Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington. Are they going to throw to the middle of the field enough? Then that number two wide receiver, not having Diontae Johnson. I just don’t know if the weapons are there for Russell Wilson to get back to that top tier.”
That’s a fair concern to have, as the Steelers receiving room, outside of Pickens, is mostly guys who are unproven or flawed. There isn’t a clear guy to take attention off Pickens yet. However, during Smith’s time in Tennessee, the receiving room was similarly lacking, although maybe not to the Steelers’ degree. A.J. Brown was the No. 1 guy there, and he is on another level compared to Pickens, but maybe that changes this year with better quarterback play. Also, there’s still time for the Steelers to trade for a receiver, especially when looking at the disgruntled receivers around the league.
Wilson could struggle in Smith’s offense because of its frequent use of the middle of the field, as both analysts say, but that’s also a known factor of Wilson’s game. As with Tannehill, Smith has shown he can construct an offense that emphasizes a quarterback’s strengths and hides their weaknesses. There are ways that a bright offensive mind can work around that issue.
There may be some growing pains with both Wilson and Smith, but it should become apparent quickly if it’s a marriage that can last or not. Thankfully, if Wilson does struggle, the Steelers can at least see if Justin Fields has what it takes to be their next franchise leader. His game is similar to Wilson’s, so maybe the same problems could rear their ugly heads, but he’s also younger, so there could be more to work with there. Either way, the Steelers will probably need all three of Wilson, Smith, and Fields to be at least adequate if they want to compete for a championship this year. That may seem like a lot, but the standard is the standard.
