The Pittsburgh Steelers are more than likely going to start Russell Wilson at quarterback to open the season, although Justin Fields has gotten his shot in practice the last two days while Wilson has been nursing a calf injury. While Fields has shown some flashes early in training camp, it would be a surprise if Wilson wasn’t Pittsburgh’s starter, a decision that former NFL head coach Dave Wannestedt agrees with. Appearing on The Colin Cowherd podcast, Wannestedt said that Wilson should be the Steelers’ starter “to win a Super Bowl.”
“He will buy in so quick, and Mike Tomlin will do such a great job of bringing him along. And he’s got an offensive coordinator now in Arthur Smith; this guy’s good. He’s really good, and he’s gonna do things I think that re-energize Russell,” Wannestedt said.
He added that he thinks the Steelers will have a package for Fields, but Wilson should be their guy.
“At the end of the day, to win a Super Bowl and win your division, it’s Russell Wilson,” he said.
“At the end of the day, to win a Super Bowl and win your division, it’s Russell Wilson”
—@CoachWannstedt tells @ColinCowherd his choice in the Steelers’ QB battle pic.twitter.com/jMp9uGJsXL
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 26, 2024
Wilson has already won a Super Bowl, and his pedigree is one reason he’s likely getting the first crack to start for Pittsburgh. Of course, Wilson struggled during his two-year tenure with the Denver Broncos, but with Arthur Smith calling plays, Wannestedt thinks that Wilson will be re-energized, and the two seem to have built a strong relationship already.
Smith’s offense is run-heavy, and Wilson thrived in a run-heavy Seattle offense with a good defense, which is what Pittsburgh will have to offer. It should also play to some of Wilson’s strengths, and Smith will ensure that he’s tailoring the offense a little bit to what Wilson likes to do without losing its core principles.
There’s little doubt that the offense will be an improvement over where it was the past few seasons under Matt Canada and with Kenny Pickett under center. Still, if the unit can take a step forward to be in the top half of the league, the Steelers should be in good shape this season, especially with the strength of their defense.
The question mark will be some of their offensive weapons aside from George Pickens and their two talented running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Still, Pat Freiermuth has gotten a healthy dose of targets and has seemingly impressed so far, and it’s a group that the Steelers can work with for now. It’ll be interesting to see just how much better the offense can be, but Wilson certainly elevates the team’s ceiling.
