Russell Wilson may not have practiced for the Pittsburgh Steelers today, but his presence was still felt. Wilson is a Super Bowl champion and the most veteran quarterback the Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger. While he’s day-to-day with a minor injury, he should still be the front-runner for the Steelers’ starting quarterback job. According to general manager Omar Khan, Wilson’s leadership has been as advertised as well.
In a video from the team’s YouTube, Khan spoke to the media after the first day of practice and was asked about how much Wilson’s leadership felt necessary for the Steelers offense considering their youth. In response, Khan praised not only Wilson’s leadership but the leadership of the offense as a whole.
“Russ is a leader, he’s been a vet, played at a high level in this league for a long time,” Khan said. “I feel like we have leadership in every room on this roster right now. We went into the offseason and said to ourselves if there’s an opportunity to bring more leadership into a specific room, we’re gonna do it. The quarterback room, it’s new, but we have good leaders, not only in Russ, but in Justin [Fields] and Kyle [Allen]. John Rhys [Plumlee] has got some great guys ahead of him to learn from.”
Last year, there were rumors of leadership and accountability issues in the quarterback room, so it makes sense that Khan and Mike Tomlin would want to improve in that area. Wilson reportedly blew the doors off in his meeting with the team, which led to his signing, and it would be fair to assume that his positive attitude was part of that.
Later in the same video, Khan spoke more about Wilson’s character in particular, having nothing but positive things to say.
“I didn’t know Russell as a person, and he’s been up here, we got to know him the last whatever months it’s been. He’s a hard worker, great family guy, great person. I think you could ask his teammates what they think about him. He’s been a great teammate, and his work ethic is really, really unique. It’s special.”
Wilson spent the early parts of his career playing alongside some huge personalities, including Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman, so he got thrown into the fire early on when it comes to managing a locker room. The current roster for the Steelers features far fewer players that are difficult to handle, such as Antonio Brown. Wilson has led by example this entire offseason, constantly working. The narrative around him over the past few years has not been kind, and it appears he’s intent on changing that.
There were rumors of Wilson being a diva with the Denver Broncos, but that’s a situation involving a lot of hearsay. Wilson has been nothing but a great professional since he joined the Steelers, and his teammates have given him glowing remarks. Even Fields, who is Wilson’s biggest competition on the team, has praised the help Wilson’s given him. Even though they’re in a sort of quarterback battle, Wilson is still taking time to help Fields become a better player. That’s leadership.
The young Steelers offense has struggled over the past few years, so maybe a veteran hand like Wilson will steady the ship. Alongside offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Wilson should be able to improve the Steelers’ offense to at least close to average. Khan seems to be satisfied with the leadership at every position on the team, which will be tested during this season. Between their brutal schedule and being on Hard Knocks later this year, the Steelers season could be a long one. They’re going to need that leadership if they want to succeed.
