Former Pitt safety and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick isn’t very high on the trajectory of Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh. He previously thought Kenny Pickett would give Wilson a run for his money in a training camp battle. Of course, that scenario was squashed with Pickett being traded to Philadelphia due to his unhappiness with the Wilson signing,
Nevertheless, Riddick doesn’t think Wilson will make the Steelers Super Bowl contenders. He’s not even sure if he’ll be the starter over Justin Fields.
“I don’t think it’s a sure-fire lock that he’s the starter in Pittsburgh,” Riddick said a day before Pitt’s Blue and Gold game at Acrisure Stadium on 93.7 The Fan.
“Russ isn’t the missing link in Pittsburgh,” Riddick added. “This is not Tom Brady coming in here and all of the sudden, he’s going to establish his own way of doing things and kind of take this team to another level. This isn’t Peyton Manning when he went to Denver. So, people need to go ahead and get that straight in their mind, that this isn’t what that is.”
Riddick’s comments are not surprising, as he really wasn’t high on the Wilson signing to begin with. He thought the trade for Fields was spectacular, though.
“This is a home run for them,” Riddick said last month on Sportscenter after Fields was traded from Chicago to Pittsburgh. “It’s a home run for Omar Khan. It’s a home run for Mike Tomlin.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said at the NFL owner’s meetings that Wilson will be in “pole position” to be the starter, but there will be a fair competition in training camp and the preseason.
“Quite honestly, I think they need to open this thing wide up. Wide open competition between Russell and Justin and let the chips fall wherever they may be. Brilliant deal for them,” Riddick said.
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