Considering how this season started for him, Russell Wilson has been a pleasant surprise for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His value was at an all-time low after last season, but Mike Tomlin and company still believed in him. Although things haven’t been perfect, Wilson has looked like a capable starter for the Steelers. But former Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon wants to see more out of Wilson this Sunday in Cincinnati.
“If you’re Russell Wilson, his stats are great,” Colon said Friday on FS1’s Breakfast Ball. “He just has to evolve. If the ball’s not going to George Pickens, or if it’s not quick dump-offs, or if they’re not running the ball at a high level, they got stagnant.
“He does not attack the middle of the field. He has to evolve and get the ball out of his hands. So many times, when you watch Russell Wilson, he’s just sitting in the well, pumping and pumping and pumping, and then sacked.”
Colon makes a good point, but it’s not one the Steelers weren’t aware of. Throughout his career, Wilson has not been quick to attack the middle of the field. He’s built his career off being elite outside the numbers. At this point, he isn’t as great at that, but it’s still his biggest strength.
It’s probably too late to try to change the type of player Wilson is. However, it isn’t like he’s avoided the middle of the field with the Steelers. Just last week, he threw a strike over the middle of the field for a touchdown to Calvin Austin III. He can throw inside the numbers. It just isn’t his forte.
Part of that is just because of his physical limitations. Standing at just under six feet tall, Wilson is short for a quarterback. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it does likely impact his ability to see the middle of the field. Unless the Steelers want to put him on stilts, that isn’t going to change.
It is fair to critique Wilson’s penchant for holding the ball too long. That’s been a problem throughout his career. He used to be athletic enough to circumvent that issue, but age has eroded that. It has hurt the Steelers at times, so maybe Wilson does need to be more willing to throw the ball in the middle of the field to escape those scenarios. A sack is usually better than an interception though.
Colon is correct that the Steelers can’t always rely on Wilson’s deep ball in the passing game. They do have to become more fluid throwing the ball. They didn’t build their offense to run through Wilson though. The Steelers want to be a run-first offense. At times, they haven’t been good enough in that regard, but that shows the offense has more problems than just Wilson.
The Steelers do have the weapons to utilize the middle of the field. Pat Freiermuth is a reliable target, and Darnell Washington has developed as a receiver. Even George Pickens has made plays in the middle of the field. That is an area where the Steelers are lacking, but it isn’t the cause of their stagnation.
