Throughout this offseason, maybe no one doubted Russell Wilson more than former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth. When Wilson joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, Schlereth didn’t have many nice things to say about him. He didn’t believe Wilson would succeed, but he has admitted he was wrong since Wilson began playing well for the Steelers. Now, it seems like he’s all in on the Steelers.
“I’ve been a Steeler fan my entire life, and I’m excited,” Schlereth said recently on his podcast, Stinkin’ Truth. “I’m excited to see them play well. Truth be told, as pissed off as I was at Russell Wilson for all the crap that went down in Denver, I’m actually excited for him. I’m not rooting against him. I think it’s a cool story.”
That’s quite the turn from Schlereth. He was frustrated with Wilson after the quarterback flamed out with the Broncos. It’s impressive that he’s been willing to admit he’s wrong. It is a little surprising that he’s totally changed his mind about the Steelers. Looking at Wilson’s story, it isn’t hard to root for him.
Wilson won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks and then kept them in contention for a championship. He got traded to the Broncos in 2022, and things went downhill fast. Not only did his play on the field get worse, but his reputation off the field also took a hit. Rumors started to fly about how Wilson was a bad teammate and a diva.
Mike Tomlin and the Steelers didn’t buy any of that. They brought Wilson in to compete for the starting job, and he’s rewarded their belief in him. His teammates have had nothing but nice things to say, too. He’s done basically everything right.
Now, Wilson has the Steelers on top of the AFC North. They’re one of the best teams in the NFL. Schlereth even goes so far as to say they are Super Bowl contenders.
“Absolutely. One, they’re going to play great defense. Two, they’re going to run the ball. They’re going to find a way to run the ball and play a physical style. One thing I’ll tell you about Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh knows exactly who they are and, more importantly, who they aren’t.”
Schlereth is correct. They had a bullseye on who they wanted to be through all of the changes they made this offseason. Their goal was to be physical, and so far, they’ve done a good job at that. The Steelers run the ball well, play great defense, and hit deep shots when they need to.
Wilson has also given them exactly what they want at quarterback. In three games, he’s only turned the ball over twice. He’s protected the football while still showcasing an elite deep ball. His veteran knowledge has also shown up in key moments, helping to elevate the Steelers’ offense.
Schlereth is just one of many people who have changed their minds on Wilson and the Steelers. In 10 weeks, they’ve shown a lot, giving people reasons to believe in them. They aren’t perfect, but they do enough right that they could go on a run in the playoffs.
There are still a handful of games left this year, though, so things could change. The Steelers have an intimidating stretch coming up. They play some of the best teams in the league. There might be moments when things are less positive than they are now. The important thing is not to overreact. Tomlin has earned a lot of trust this year.
