Less than one week after the Denver Broncos announced that they would be parting ways with quarterback Russell Wilson, he announced his plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2024 season.
The former Super Bowl champion had a two-year stint in Denver that was far from glorious, especially compared to his lucrative contract. But NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky believes that Wilson’s next chapter in Pittsburgh will look much different.
“It’s a great fit between player and coach, and system that they want to run,” Orlovsky said on the Pat McAfee Show. “The reality is waking up yesterday morning the Steelers realistically did not have a chance within the division, they now realistically have a chance. Now are they the favorite over Baltimore or Cincinnati? No, and we’ll see what happens with Tee Higgins.”
The Steelers have notably had issues at the quarterback position following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, but have still found a way to put together two straight winning seasons and even a playoff appearance last year. But according to Orlovsky, Wilson has what Pittsburgh has been missing and the Steelers also have what Wilson has needed in Denver the last two seasons.
“But Russell Wilson last year in the midst of chaos, and not great offensive line play, and skill position players that weren’t healthy all the time was a top 10, top 12 quarterback for most of the season,” Orlovsky said. “And if you just take last year and you get that Russell Wilson, and I would say that Pittsburgh as an offense in totality is a better situation. The offensive line is going to be better than it was in Denver and the skill position people are definitely better than they were in Denver. Than you’re going to get a team that last year was 10-7, that’s worth two more wins and that’s just the truth.”
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has famously never had a losing season in his 17 years as the Steelers head coach. And with former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith now serving as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, that streak could not only continue, but the Steelers’ offense could potentially flourish for the first time in years.
“If we talk about who Russ is: wants to throw the ball downfield, holds the ball a little bit, is still efficient, doesn’t turn the football over. Who does Pittsburgh want to be on offense? They want to run the football, they want to take play-action pass shots downfield, and they want to make two or three plays down near the end of the game to go win it still with a good defense,” Orlovsky explained.
“Why did it fail for Arthur Smith, who’s their new offensive coordinator, in Atlanta? Quarterback threw too many interceptions and they didn’t have any speed on offense. Not the case with Russell Wilson, not the case as a problem with Pittsburgh.”
Orlovsky added that Wilson will need to improve at throwing over the middle and decrease the amount of sacks he takes from holding onto the ball too long, also mentioning that Pittsburgh will have to manage with his personality and persona. But all in all, on the field it feels like the Steelers’ offense and Wilson could bring out the best in one another in the 2024 season.
More must-reads: