At the moment, it seems like the Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting on Aaron Rodgers to make a decision. There’s no telling how or when this saga is going to end. The Steelers still need a starting quarterback, though, and Rodgers could decide to go elsewhere. The New York Giants sound interested in him, and perhaps the Minnesota Vikings are, too. Bill Cowher believes the Steelers are better off re-signing Russell Wilson.
“I personally think that Russell Wilson is your best choice,” Cowher said Tuesday on The Dan Patrick Show. “It’s gonna be a better offensive line room with [Troy] Fautanu coming back and moving Broderick [Jones] to left tackle.
“I think you’re looking at the best receiver corps you’re gonna have in a long time, in terms of if they can keep George Pickens or not. That’ll be the next conversation that you will have to have. Roman Wilson was a guy they were counting on last year. Calvin Austin III stepped up. I think the offense as a whole, and with Arthur Smith in his second year, in theory, should take a step forward.”
Cowher’s logic is sound. The Steelers invested their first-round pick in Fautanu last year. Unfortunately, an injury cut his season short almost before it began. Still, they likely have a very high opinion of him. Jones has struggled, but perhaps he’ll be more comfortable on the left side.
Adding DK Metcalf should certainly boost the Steelers’ offense. He’s been an excellent player in the NFL for years. Metcalf also had some of his best years with Wilson as his quarterback. It sounds like the two are still close, so maybe reuniting them can recapture that magic.
Running back is still an issue for the Steelers, but they could always address it in the draft. Wilson should have a better supporting cast this year if he returns to Pittsburgh. It wasn’t all bad with him last year. He’s clearly lost a step, but he helped the Steelers win several games when first inserted into the lineup.
If he stays healthy and gets a full offseason with the team, there’s hope Wilson could improve upon what he did last year. At the very least, maybe the team won’t run out of gas to end the year. Not all of their issues were on him, too.
The truth is that no one seems to know when Rodgers will make his decision. He could also not choose the Steelers. In that scenario, they could’ve done all this waiting for nothing. Wilson could always sign somewhere before Rodgers, as well. There are reports that the relationship between him and the Steelers is damaged. That could leave the Steelers in a bind if Rodgers doesn’t come to Pittsburgh.
Although Rodgers is likely a better player than Wilson, the Steelers might be better off not waiting. They have other needs to address, and it’s tough to do that without a starting quarterback. Wilson might not be the exciting choice, but that doesn’t make him the wrong choice.
