Steelers' Russell Wilson Being Named Starter Disgusted NFL Analyst

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their Week 1 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons and Russell Wilson will lead the offense. While Wilson's calf injury limited him throughout training camp and the preseason, Mike Tomlin and the rest of the coaching staff feel more confident with him at the helm of the offense compared to Justin Fields. While some might feel that this decision was the safer choice, NFL insider Pete Prisco has a different opinion.

Prisco, who made an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast Wednesday morning, was asked how many games does he think Wilson will play this season, barring any injuries. Not only does Prisco think that Wilson will play in very few games for the Steelers, he doesn't understand what the coaching staff sees in him that gives them confidence that the offense will succeed with him under center.

"Four or five, he's not good. They got to pull the plug. I mean, what did they see in the preseason or in their workouts that gave you any indication that he's the guy or going back to last year when he held the ball forever and caused so many sacks in Denver? He's done, it's over."

Wilson was sacked a total of 45 times last season and was the second slowest quarterback in 2023 when it came to average time to throw at 2.99 seconds. He did see an improvement through the air however, where he threw 10 more touchdowns compared to his first season with the Denver Broncos and also threw three less interceptions. 

The Steelers finished the preseason 0-3 and the first-team offense struggled to find any type of consistency, especially in their first two games. Wilson led the offense for a total of six drives in the preseason, where he went three and out in half of them. The only drive that he led to points was in his lone drive against the Detroit Lions where the Steelers found the end zone on a 31-yard rush by Cordarrelle Patterson. Wilson finished his preseason campaign going 10 of 12 passing for 73 yards and zero touchdowns.

Wilson's poor play, especially in his Steelers' debut, was believed to be hindered by his calf injury. While Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith did admit to limiting the play calls in his first action against the Houston Texans due to Wilson's injury, Fields' electric play had raised questions about the quarterback position. While Tomlin is still standing firm from what he said earlier this offseason about Wilson being in pole position, Fields' progression could have shortened the gap between the two.

Wilson will look to get going early on in his regular season debut in Atlanta and will have the full playbook at his disposal. While the Steelers' offense is getting Jaylen Warren back from his hamstring injury, they will have to fight through the adversity of not having starting left guard Isaac Seumalo and other inexperienced linemen blocking for him. The Falcons' defense has become more formidable in the past few weeks, adding safety Justin Simmons and trading for Matthew Judon -- two great pieces that will surely try their best to make Wilson's regular season debut tough. 

Steelers' Offense Will Be Under A Microscope This Season

The Steelers are hoping to not rely on their defense so much as they have in the past to secure wins in 2024. It will all come down to if Wilson can lead the offense down the field and finish drives in the end zone on a consistent basis. While many NFL analysts believe Fields offers more with his legs, the Steelers will stick with the quarterback they believe offers more reliability through the air. Wilson is entering his 13th season in the NFL and believes he still has plenty left in the tank. 

Will Wilson keep the starting job over Fields throughout the season, or will the Steelers move to the younger quarterback at some point in 2024? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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