There’s been a lot of negativity surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation and Russell Wilson in the national media, but former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday isn’t concerned. Saturday said that the Steelers will be fine with Wilson as long as he protects the ball.
“They don’t have to win games offensively. They can win defensively. They just have to protect themselves offensively, and I think that’s what they’re expecting from Russell Wilson. Run the ball, be effective, have [George] Pickens make some big plays, stretch the ball downfield somewhat, but understand defense is gonna win them a championship if they have any aspirations of doing that,” Saturday said on Get Up Wednesday morning.
Pittsburgh’s defense should be among the best in the league, with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward anchoring the pass rush and the addition of Patrick Queen in the middle. Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety and Joey Porter Jr. emerging at cornerback should provide a good backbone of the secondary, and the Steelers are going to be able to limit opposing offenses.
Under Arthur Smith, the expectation has always been for the Steelers to be a run-heavy group, especially with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the backfield, so the onus isn’t always going to be on Wilson to save the offense. He’s still got a good deep ball, and like Saturday said, the Steelers are going to need some throws downfield, particularly to George Pickens, here and there, but the defense is good enough to not need elite quarterback play.
That doesn’t mean Wilson can struggle, but if he doesn’t turn the ball over, something he’s been good at during his career, the offense should at least be average. The issue for Wilson is going to be avoiding sacks, with an offensive line right now that has a few question marks, especially after the pec injury to OG Isaac Seumalo, and the fact that Wilson has taken 100 sacks over the last two seasons. Staying on schedule and not taking big losses via a sack will be important, and it’s a legitimate question if Wilson can avoid taking as many sacks as in the past.
Still, the idea that Wilson could sink the Steelers’ chances this year seems overblown to me, and I’m in agreement with Saturday that Wilson really just has to manage the offense and rely on the ground game. The defense is good enough that Pittsburgh doesn’t need to score 25-plus points per game, and it would ultimately be a disappointment if this team doesn’t make the playoffs this season.
