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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is apparently reminding people of former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, but don’t worry: it’s positive.
Wilson is entering a make-or-break year in Pittsburgh after a couple of dreadful seasons with the Denver Broncos (well, he was decent in 2023), so it should come as no surprise that the nine-time Pro Bowler is working hard.
But evidently, his work ethic is reminiscent of Brown, a team source has told Mark Kaboly and Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. The source said that the Steelers have not seen anyone work as hard Wilson since Brown, who was notoriously tireless in improving his craft during his wildly successful nine-year run in Pittsburgh. This was particularly the case during Brown’s early days, which the source specifies.
The Broncos cut Wilson earlier this offseason, clearing the way for the Steelers to sign him.
It’s a dramatic upgrade under center for Pittsburgh, which went through 2023 with Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph all getting starts. The Steelers have revamped their quarterback room this offseason, as all three of those previous signal-callers are gone.
Not only did Pittsburgh sign Wilson, but it also swung a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire Justin Fields. There was even some debate as to whether or not Wilson would be the Week 1 starter over Fields, but it appears that Wilson is the unquestioned guy for the season opener. If he falters, that could open the door for Fields.
Can Russell Wilson turn back the clock?
It’s hard to really determine exactly what went wrong for Wilson in Denver.
The Broncos landed Wilson in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022 with the expectation that he would solve their miserable quarterback issues. Instead, Wilson trudged through the worst season of his career in his debut campaign in the Mile High City, throwing 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Wilson certainly bounced back last season, finishing with 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight picks, but he was benched by Sean Payton for the final two games of the regular season after declining to defer his injury guarantee.
People also have questions about how good Wilson actually was in 2023 in spite of the fact that his numbers looked solid.
Perhaps the Broncos’ offensive scheme was the issue for Wilson, who is well known for throwing a tight deep ball and had to change his style in Denver. Maybe he didn’t quite like Nathaniel Hackett and then Payton, the latter of whom clearly had issues with the former Super Bowl champion.
Whatever the case may be, a change of scenery may do Wilson a whole lot of good.
The Steelers went 10-7 and made the playoffs in spite of their troubles under center in 2023, so the addition of Wilson may end up making Pittsburgh a legitimate contender in the AFC so long as Wilson more closely resembles his 2023 self rather than the 2022 iteration. Of course, it would be even better if Wilson can turn back the clock to his Seahawks days.
But do the Steelers have enough weapons for Wilson?
Outside of George Pickens, Pittsburgh doesn’t really have much depth at wide receiver. It drafted Roman Wilson in the third round late last month, but he is not a proven talent. The Steelers do have a couple of good pass-catching running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren plus a solid tight end in Pat Freiermuth, so they could potentially act ask security blankets for Wilson.
It should also be noted that Wilson is 35 years old, so it’s entirely possible that his best days are long behind him.
We’ll find out come September.
More must-reads:
- An optimist's guide to the 2024 Washington Commanders
- Vikings icon explains why team needs to break the bank for Justin Jefferson
- The 'Most receiving yards in a season' quiz
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