With Russell Wilson winning the starting quarterback job and being named a captain, it seems he’s done enough to prove himself as a leader for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although Justin Fields apparently had an opportunity to win the starting job, Wilson did enough not to lose his spot. Mike Tomlin stated it was not an easy decision, but former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah believes Wilson being named a captain will give him a long leash as the starter.
“That ‘C’ on his uniform stands for cushion,” Jeremiah said on his podcast, Move the Sticks. “If you thought there was gonna be a quick hook, when you throw the ‘C’ on your chest, that means we’re gonna give him a little time to get adjusted and figure this thing out. That’s what that tells me.
“If it was really neck and neck, and Russ [Wilson] won that job by a nose, I don’t think you name him the captain thinking that there could be a hook coming soon.”
Jeremiah’s assessment is a little off base because Steelers coaches don’t name the captains. Players vote on who they believe the captains should be. It’s not a prize but rather recognition for who the players believe are their leaders. Wilson seemed to understand what an honor this was, too.
Also, a quarterback being voted a captain hasn’t stopped the Steelers from benching a quarterback in the past. Last year, Kenny Pickett was a captain, and he was left on the bench for Mason Rudolph. In 2022, Mitch Trubisky was a captain, and the Steelers didn’t hesitate to bench him for a younger quarterback. If Wilson plays poorly, he could end up like Trubisky.
However, Jeremiah is still probably correct that Fields won’t instantly replace Wilson at the first sign of struggle. That’s more because of Wilson’s ability than his being a captain, though. If the Steelers make Fields the starter, it will probably be because they aren’t winning games and Wilson is playing poorly.
Wilson would probably need to turn the ball over at a decent rate to be benched, and even though he hasn’t been great over the past few years, he’s still protected the football. Wilson isn’t Trubisky. He’s won a Super Bowl before, and he looked like he still had some juice left last year.
If Wilson does struggle, though, don’t expect his captaincy to save him. Tomlin wants to win football games, and if Wilson takes too many sacks or throws too many interceptions, he’ll be replaced. Any patience the organization has with him will be because of what he does on the field. That good leadership does count for something, though, and it should mean that the players will have his back if he struggles. Whether that saves his job or not remains to be seen.
