For whatever reason, Russell Wilson is one of the most polarizing players in the NFL. When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him this offseason, the reception from people in the media was not all positive. It wasn’t hard to find someone say they didn’t believe in Wilson. Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long was one of those people. However, after two Wilson starts, Long is ready to admit he was wrong.
“I know I’ve already said this, but I wanted to make sure I said it,” Long said recently on his Green Light podcast. “This is my public apology tour on one topic, and that’s Russell Wilson. I’ve gotten a lot of things right over the last year. This is one that I didn’t get right.”
Long was on record saying that Justin Fields deserved to start over Wilson. When the season began, it seemed like he was going to be correct. While Fields looked good, he didn’t look great, and Mike Tomlin felt like the Steelers’ offense was missing something. Wilson’s only played in two games, but in both those outings, he did elevate the offense.
“Justin Fields didn’t do quite enough, and [Wilson] might be perfect for what they’re trying to do,” Long said. “He might be perfect for this coordinator. He might be perfect for taking advantage of the shots, the shot opportunities that we didn’t even know were there, the play-action.”
Again, it’s only a small sample size, but that does seem to be the case at the moment. Wilson isn’t as mobile as Fields, but he has been stellar running Arthur Smith’s offense. The Steelers want to be a run-first team, taking shots down the field when they need a spark. So far, that’s been Wilson’s best ability.
Not every deep ball has been perfect, but the touch Wilson throws with has given the Steelers’ receivers chances to make plays. He’s also made some more underrated, shorter throws. He isn’t the same quarterback he was with the Seattle Seahawks, but Wilson still has some gas left in the tank.
It isn’t like Long was wrong to doubt Wilson though. In two seasons with the Denver Broncos, it looked like he had lost a step. Couple that with the injury he suffered in training camp and things didn’t look good.
However, the Steelers had all the tools for him to succeed. They worked to improve their running game. Their offensive line got some upgrades. George Pickens’ spectacular ability to come down with the ball also matches Wilson’s skills perfectly. It wasn’t like he had no chance to succeed.
Things can still change, but for now, Wilson has firmly taken hold of the starting quarterback job. He’s helping the Steelers’ offense take a much-needed step forward, especially considering their upcoming schedule. The Steelers have all of their divisional games left, so Wilson will need to keep proving his doubters wrong. There’s still a lot of work left to do.
