When the new league year beings on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new starting quarterback. Russell Wilson announced last night that he will be signing a one-year deal with the Steelers and get this… it’s for the veteran minimum. In other words, if you’re the Steelers, this is a no-brainer. But now that we know Wilson is coming to the Steel City, how much better does this actually make the team?
What we first have to understand is that Wilson is not without warts. He takes a lot of sacks and throws a lot of balls near the line of scrimmage. So much so that many believe he’s no longer willing to throw the deep ball. I’m not ready to say that because there are numerous examples of him still throwing accurate ‘bombs’ if you will. And let me also state this; Wilson was playing for a coach and an organization that didn’t even want him there yet he still put up 26 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 98.0. You already know that’s far better than the guy Omar Khan said he had ‘full faith’ in two weeks ago.
In new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense, Wilson will be more than just a game manager. Yes, Smith’s offense is a run heavy system that relies on good offensive line play and quality running backs, but it also requires play-action. That’s an area that Wilson can really excel. His ability to hide the ball and carry out fakes has always been very good and there’s no doubt that’s one of the reasons he’s coming here.
But Wilson can also still throw the ball when needed too and perhaps more importantly, he knows where to throw it. Kenny Pickett struggled in Matt Canada’s offense, no argument there, but he also struggled with his reads and where to go with the ball. Diontae Johnson and George Pickens weren’t just frustrated because they weren’t getting enough balls, they were also frustrated because of how often Pickett missed them in situations where they were clearly open. This happens to even the greatest of QBs at times, but it won’t happen nearly as often under Wilson.
As I said above, this was an easy decision for the Steelers. You get a guy with a Super Bowl ring, a lot of smarts and above average ability for the veteran minimum. You take this opportunity every time.
