Are the Pittsburgh Steelers making the right decision by reportedly turning to Russell Wilson at quarterback? We are only going to find out by watching things play out on the field. One indirect advantage of going with Wilson over Justin Fields is that they should learn more about the health of their passing game. Given that the trade deadline is coming up, that is no small consideration, Gerry Dulac suggests.
“I think having Russell Wilson will allow them to determine what they have at wide receiver other than George Pickens”, he said on the Rich Eisen Show on Thursday. “We know they’ve danced with the idea of a No. 2 WR. Brandon Aiyuk, they inquired about Davante Adams. I think this allows them now with a quarterback to see, ‘Okay, yeah, we are lacking at that position and maybe we need to do something before the trade deadline’”.
While the Steelers like to pretend they are content at wide receiver, they keep kicking tires. After the New York Jets landed Davante Adams, they are now reportedly sniffing around Mike Williams. Given that they already showed interest in Williams during free agency, that’s not a surprise. But it, once again, points to a dissatisfaction with what they have, or at least a curiosity about potentially improving at the position.
And let’s be honest, the Steelers were not delivering a robust passing game with Justin Fields. They rank 28th in passing yards per game with the third-fewest passing touchdowns. And George Pickens doesn’t even have any of them! Connor Heyward and Darnell Washington make up 40 percent of their aerial scoring. I think Russell Wilson can potentially do something about that.
And I think the Steelers think that as well; obviously, they do, or they wouldn’t even consider a change. Wilson is not nearly as athletic or dynamic as Fields, so his advantage is boosting the passing game. While they are 4-2 through six weeks, they know there is huge room for improvement in this area.
One has to wonder, as well, if the change at quarterback will dictate a change in personnel. The Steelers love to use two- and three-tight end sets, and that isn’t going away. But could we see more 11 personnel if Wilson is under center instead of Fields?
Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson combined have 30 targets on the season, or five per game. They have 18 receptions between them for 229 yards and one touchdown. And Austin’s 55-yard touchdown accounts for quite a bit of that total. Perhaps we could see more touchdowns like that from Russell Wilson.
Or if we don’t, perhaps the Steelers determine that they really have to get moving and make a trade. Whether fans like it or not, they want to win a Super Bowl this year, and they will make concerted efforts to do so. If that includes bringing in a No. 2 WR, they will do that. And Wilson should help them ascertain whether that is really necessary, more so than Fields could.
