Now 36 years old, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson is not the first person who comes to mind when discussing mobility at the position. That is obviously Lamar Jackson, but the Steelers’ other quarterback, Justin Fields, is up there in that conversation as well. Don’t let that stop Mr. Unlimited, though, because he thinks he still has the juice.
To his credit, Wilson was until recently the third-leading rusher among quarterbacks in NFL history. While Jackson recently swept the podium, Wilson ranked behind just Mike Vick and Cam Newton. But we’re talking about Year 14 Russell Wilson now, who rushed for a blistering 155 yards in 2024.
“I can still get up and go”, Wilson claimed on The Pat McAfee Show yesterday. “But I think as you continue to evolve, I try to facilitate the ball to the right guys at the right time and getting it to them in the air as much as possible. Letting them do their thing, and then when it’s time, using your legs”.
The problem is, Wilson isn’t as nimble moving around in the pocket, either. In fact, he bears a lot of responsibility for the Steelers’ issues in pass protection in 2024. Sure, he had the occasional play that looked like “the old Russ”, but as often as not, he just looked like an old Russ. Quarterback mobility, even if not a deficiency, is not his strong suit at this juncture.
“My ability to get outside and naked boot and play-action boot, that’s always been a huge part, and still is a huge part” of Wilson’s game, he said. He added he believes he still does these things “extremely well. You try not to spin out and do crazy stuff all the time. But when you need and you’ve got to do it”, he believes he can. “I’m always working on my speed”.
Shortly after the Steelers’ season ended, Wilson posted a video of himself training. He told McAfee he can “still get up to 19-20 miles an hour and still feel good about it”. But training speed is not the same as in-helmet speed, either. Let’s just say he didn’t crack the 20 fastest recorded speeds of the season.
The Steelers are entering an offseason in which they have no quarterbacks under contract from 2024. They only signed Russell Wilson to a one-year contract, and given how the season ended, they may be reconsidering future plans.
Many, in fact, seem to believe the Steelers will turn to Justin Fields over Wilson. Fields started the first six games of the season after Wilson injured his calf pushing a sled in training camp. How much did that injury affect his mobility throughout the season? That’s hard to say, but it’s not like he has rushed for 500-plus yards recently.
