Throughout his career, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has made a name for himself, holding onto the football, making plays out of structure and off-script, and thriving in that backyard style of football that has led him to a remarkable career to this point.
But at this point in his career, entering his age 36 season (he turns 36 on November 29), Wilson will have to change up his game a bit if he wants to extend his career, especially in the Steel City.
While the Steelers improved the offensive line in front of him via the 2024 NFL Draft, landing offensive tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round and center Zach Frazier in the second round, Wilson will have to avoid holding onto the ball in the pocket, cutting down on sacks and quarterback hits in the process.
Last season in Denver, that was an issue.
Wilson took 45 sacks for the Broncos in 2023. In the previous season, he led the NFL in times sacked with 55. He did that one other time in his career, in 2019 in Seattle. Along with taking a high number of sacks, Wilson was also battered in the pocket.
According to the 33rd Team, Wilson was second in the NFL in the percentage of dropbacks in the pocket that finished in quarterback hits at 20.4%, finishing behind only Tennessee Titans’ QB Will Levis last season, who was hit at a 25.5% clip.
For comparison’s sake, former Steelers’ quarterback Kenny Pickett was hit at a rate of 16.4% in 2023 when he was healthy in the lineup.
It’s certainly not surprising to see Russell Wilson near the top of the league in the percentage of dropbacks that result in quarterback hits. Some of that is his fault because of the style he plays at the position. Some of it can be blamed on the offensive lines he’s played behind recently, too, especially last season.
Though the Broncos invested heavily in the offensive line last offseason, signing guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey, Denver really struggled up front in pass protection.
It didn’t help that Russell Wilson held the football and scrambled around trying to make plays, averaging 3.86 seconds from snap to throw on the year, which was tied for sixth-longest in the NFL in 2023 with New York Giants backup quarterback Tommy DeVito.
The Steelers had the second-worst pass-blocking grade in football last season, according to Pro Football Focus, at 45.2. The Broncos were fifth-best in the NFL at 72.7, despite having just two linemen in left tackle Garrett Bolles and center Lloyd Cushenberry II have a grade higher than 70.0, and four of the five starting linemen allowing 20+ pressures on the season.
Coming to Pittsburgh, Wilson will have to change his ways some, something that has been talked about quite a bit this offseason when it comes to Wilson and staying within the structure of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme. That means getting the ball out quickly and on time, taking what’s there when necessary, and avoiding the mistakes that come with holding onto the football, like taking a sack.
With an offensive line that has been rebuilt and greatly improved in front of him, Russell Wilson should be able to cut down on the percentage of dropbacks that end in quarterback hits in 2024. If not, he might not make it through the entire season and might not be a starting quarterback much longer.
