Expert Says a 9-time Pro Bowl quarterback signing with the Steelers would Need to Win Competition.
The quarterback position for the Pittsburgh Steelers appears to have changed significantly.
Despite all of the well-known stars they’ve been associated with, it appeared going into the week that the team would be selecting Kenny Pickett as their starting quarterback for the 2024 campaign.
They might now be going in a different way.
It was reported that Russell Wilson is scheduled to meet with the Steelers following his release from the Denver Broncos.
Wilson might not immediately be given the starting job if the Steelers sign him, which would seem to be bad news for Pickett.
Eisen stated that he believed Wilson would still need to win a quarterback competition in order to be hired by the Steelers on the March 7 broadcast of “The Rich Eisen Show.”
For Russ, sitting him is just not right. Russell Wilson and Kenny will compete if they bring Russ in, and they may even add a third player.
Historic Wilson Decision for the Broncos
The Broncos believed that trading for Wilson would put them back in the running for the Super Bowl just two years ago.
Even though they had a strong defense prior to signing him, poor quarterback play kept them behind.
They had to forfeit a ton of draft capital, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, Drew Lock, and a fourth round pick as a result in order huge acquire Wilson.
The relocation didn’t succeed.
In Wilson’s first season, the Broncos were terrible. Their offense was among the weakest in the NFL, and they only managed to win five games.
First-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett was largely to blame for the team’s problems; nonetheless, he was sacked before the conclusion of his first season in command.
The coaching issues were then meant to be resolved when they brought in a Super Bowl winner. Sean Payton was employed by them.
During Wilson’s second year in Denver, things improved.
With the squad in the running for the playoffs late in the season, the nine-time Pro Bowler completed 26 touchdown touchdowns in 2023.
Despite this, Payton decided to sideline him for the season’s last two games, saying the offense needed a spark. Though Wilson never experienced that spark, his time in Denver was running out.
The Broncos opted on March 5 to release Wilson after waiting a few months for the problem to be settled.
More dead money will be left behind by Wilson than by any other player in NFL history when his release is officially announced. The decision will leave the Broncos with a dead cap of $85 million.
Although the Broncos’ trade for Wilson didn’t work out, the Steelers could be wise to sign him.
Why He Should Sign with the Steelers
Given how his stint in Denver ended, Steelers supporters may not be overly thrilled with this decision, but it doesn’t really matter.
It is still true that the Steelers must take action to improve at quarterback.
In the past two seasons, the Steelers have only completed 25 touchdown passes as a club, and Chase Claypool has only completed one of those throws.
Pickett is averaging fewer than 200 throwing yards per game throughout that period.
Without a doubt, they have the worst quarterback situation in the AFC North.
Although Wilson looked better than Deshaun Watson the previous season, signing him wouldn’t put the Steelers in the same quarterback debate as the Ravens and Bengals.
It also somewhat closes the gap.
The Steelers are in a situation where they must turn things around quickly or risk losing the primary players on their roster.
There might just be one more season for Cameron Heyward in the league. T.J. Watt has never won a postseason game in his career, and he will turn 30 in 2024. The contract Diontae Johnson is under is coming to an end. In November, Minkah Fitzpatrick will turn 28. It’s possible that Najee Harris will leave after the 2024 season.
Pickett doesn’t seem like the quarterback to take advantage of all that talent based on what we’ve seen of him thus far.
Although Wilson hasn’t been the quarterback the Seahawks won a Super Bowl with, he is still a step above Pickett in terms of quality and might eventually lead the Steelers to another postseason victory.
It’s at least worth a try, considering how inexpensive the Steelers would have to pay to acquire him.
If not, the team might find itself back in the market for a quarterback come the following offseason and facing a one-year window of opportunity that hasn’t produced any wins.