All signs are pointing to Russell Wilson making his Steelers debut and starting in Week 7, which would send Justin Fields to the bench after starting the first six games of the season. Former NFL safety and NBC analyst Rodney Harrison thinks the Steelers should’ve stuck with Fields, and on PFT Live, he expressed concern about Wilson starting given Pittsburgh’s lack of weapons.
“Seeing [Wilson’s] lack of mobility and his ability to get the ball out quickly, and you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, that’s the thing about Justin Fields. They don’t have a lot of great weapons. George Pickens is not a No. 1 receiver. They just have average guys across the board,” Harrison said. “It’s not like they have a lot of weapons, so good luck to Russell Wilson, man.”
Fields offers the ability to create with his legs, which gave the Steelers essentially another weapon in the run game. But with Wilson under center, Pittsburgh won’t have that same mobility at the quarterback position despite his arm talent potentially being better. Harrison is right that the Steelers’ weapons aren’t all that exciting.
While Pickens has a ton of talent, he needs to actually capitalize on his opportunities when they come to him, and he hasn’t played like a true No. 1 receiver through six games. There’s not much behind him in the wide receiver room, although Calvin Austin III has made some plays this season and offers game-changing speed.
As for the run game, the hope is that Najee Harris can continue to build off his performance last Sunday, when he ran 14 times for 106 yards and a touchdown. It was the most efficient game of Harris’ career, and if Wilson can open things up in the pass game, it may allow the Steelers’ run game to continue to take off.
Fields was able to make things work with Pittsburgh’s offense, leading the Steelers to a 4-2 record despite things not looking pretty at times. The hope with Wilson, whom the Steelers intended to be their starter when they signed him in March, is that he can take things to the next level and continually sustain drives.
He’ll have a big test on Sunday against the Jets, who have one of the better defenses in the league, although it would be a great sign for Pittsburgh if Wilson can play well on Sunday. The team can also upgrade its weapons ahead of the trade deadline, particularly at receiver, but the next two games will be paramount for Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.
