After missing a handful of practices in training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe and sitting out the first preseason game while still working his way back from a calf injury, veteran quarterback Russell Wilson will have all eyes on him Saturday in his debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wilson, who signed a one-year deal in free agency to join the Steelers, will start Saturday’s preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium, getting his first taste of in-stadium action with his new teammates.
Though he remains the presumed starting quarterback for the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin moving forward into the regular season, the pressure is on Wilson to make a statement — at least externally — in his preseason debut.
For former NFL wide receiver James Jones, who appeared on FS1’s Speak Friday afternoon, Wilson needs to make a major statement to quiet the noise regarding Justin Fields and remove the doubt surrounding the veteran quarterback in his latest chapter.
For Jones, Wilson has to play like he did as a rookie, stepping onto the field with a point to prove, much like he did back in 2012 in Seattle.
“Russell Wilson won his job, took it from Matt Flynn as a rookie, because he was playing as a rookie and he had that hungry mindset that, ‘I gotta go out here and prove a point to win my job,'” Jones said of Wilson and what he wants to see Saturday against the Bills, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “He has to go out here in this preseason game with that rookie mindset because Justin Fields is behind him. And I’m telling you right now, everybody in that Pittsburgh Steelers organization wants Justin Fields to win this job. You have a young phenom quarterback with a lot of talent that you can plug into your team for the next 10 years that you got for a sixth-round pick. They will want nothing more.
“Russell Wilson, if you want your career to continue, you have to go out here in this preseason game and prove a point and play like you’re a rookie and you gotta make all these plays.”
Having that young, hungry, point-to-prove mindset is a good point from Jones. It’s a mindset that Wilson certainly needs to have at this point in his career after two teams moved on from him in the last three seasons.
But it’s a bit different when you’re in the outhouse coming into the NFL as a third-round pick with not much of a future outlook, compared to the penthouse where Wilson has been throughout his career.
Work ethic and determination aren’t an issue with Wilson. He stills works his tail off, loves the game and is as prepared as anyone. But that chip he carried and that hunger he had entering the league, it fades over time. It’s not something you can switch on and off.
Maybe Wilson can do it, though. He’ll need to channel some of it in his preseason debut, especially after the buzz that Fields generated throughout training camp for the Steelers, taking advantage of Wilson’s injury to get the QB1 reps, make some plays and open some eyes.
Though Fields did have some ball security issues in the preseason opener against the Houston Texans with two fumbled snaps, and held onto the football too long at times, taking two sacks to end drives, the debate regarding who the starting QB should be for the Steelers is happening, at least through the media.
That’s not great for Wilson.
So on Saturday night against the Bills, Wilson needs to come out and make a statement with his play. Since returning to practice, Wilson has made plenty of plays with his arm, showing off his accuracy and deep ball abilities. It’s one thing to do that in practice though.
He needs to show it in-stadium now.
