On Monday’s Terrible Podcast, Dave Bryan and I ranked where Russell Wilson fits among the 32 starting quarterbacks taking the field this weekend. Dave placed Wilson 20th, I had him 22nd. NFL.com’s Nick Shook walked through a similar exercise Wednesday, placing Wilson lower than either of us and behind at least one surprising name.
Wilson came in 24th leaguewide with Shook noting major questions about his future.
“Is he washed up? Or was the situation in Denver the cause of his struggles? I lean toward the former, but I’ll let this situation — which could become one of the more fascinating ones in the NFL — play out first.”
Wilson had a far shorter stay in Denver than expected after the Broncos made a blockbuster deal with the Seahawks to acquire him ahead of the 2022 season. His first season was a disaster with Denver being one of the worst offenses in football. Things improved a bit in 2023 under Sean Payton, but he and Wilson didn’t fit schematically, leading the Broncos to eat $38 million in dead money and move on as the 2024 league year began.
If Wilson has a strong season in Pittsburgh, Denver will get the blame. If Wilson’s struggles continue, his career could be winding down.
Placing Wilson 24th isn’t that much different than where we ranked him. But there’s one interesting name ahead of him. Shook put New England Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett one spot ahead of Wilson, 23rd overall, despite appearing to be a placeholder for first-round pick Drake Maye. Shook even admitted that Brissett may not serve as the starter for the first full month of the year before being replaced. Wilson isn’t guaranteed to start the entire season either, but he has a longer leash than what’s happening in Foxborough.
Other names ahead of Wilson include the New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr, Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson, and Tennessee Titans’ Will Levis. Notably, the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson is behind Wilson at No. 25 after dealing with injuries and poor play since being acquired from the Houston Texans.
Shook’s list included the rookie starters near the bottom of the list, Caleb Williams 28th, Bo Nix 29th, and Jayden Daniels 30th. If those kids play well and Wilson doesn’t, he could fall to the bottom of this list by midseason. But if Russell Wilson succeeds, he should crack the top 20.
