The Pittsburgh Steelers made what has widely been penned as a no-risk signing of former Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Russell Wilson. For the time since, former Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson reached out to the former Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks quarterback to welcome him to the franchise. Despite his previous public backing of Kenny Pickett as the guy for the team, Peterson is now throwing his support firmly behind the nine-time Pro Bowler in Wilson.
Peterson joined his cousin and former Steelers cornerback, Bryant McFadden, for another episode of their podcast All Things Covered to review some of the Steelers' moves and to talk about the veteran's future after the organization released him. It was inevitable that the pair would talk about the franchise's biggest move so far to add Wilson to the mix at quarterback. McFadden asked Peterson who he thinks the Week 1 starter will be for the 2024 season and after a few seconds of silence and a mysterious look, the 13-year NFL veteran gave him an answer.
"You know exactly who quarterback one is, Rusell Wilson," he said. "This is a guy who understands and knows how to win. Most importantly, he knows how to get the ball down the field."
Peterson said he texted Wilson as soon as he heard the news and shared his text exchange. The biggest thing that he emphasized in his conversation with him was the influence and impact of Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
"I texted Russell, 'Great choice my guy,'" Peterson shared. "There's nothing like Coach T. The way he values winning, the way he values his players, the way he wants his players to understand the task at hand each and every day."
He added that he knows Wilson has been around some of the top guys in the NFL coaching world like Pete Carroll, but stressed that Tomlin is unlike any other coach in the game. Tomlin's first meeting with Wilson according to reports went swimmingly and it's a relationship "almost made in heaven."
Tomlin had one Hall of Fame caliber quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger for the first 15 years of his NFL career. The Steelers have had a mix of Mitch Trubisky, Pickett, and Mason Rudolph play in the two seasons following Roethlisberger's retirement. Pittsburgh reached two Super Bowls, winning one during the marriage between Tomlin and the Miami (OH) product. If Wilson is going to get back on a gold jacket trajectory, former NFL player turned analyst, Bucky Brooks thinks his best shot to do it is in Pittsburgh.
Steelers' Offensive Play Down The Stretch Makes Wilson A Perfect Fit
Peterson is a big fan of the organization buying low on Wilson. He thinks that the formula the team put together offensively down the stretch that helped them secure a Wild Card berth lends itself well to Wilson's skill set.
He said the game planning by Tomlin, guard Isaac Seumalo, and Offensive Line Coach Pat Meyer, led to finding the right guys in the right spots to protect the quarterback and help them unleash more of a downfield passing game. It was also pivotal in a turnaround of the running game which had started the season in a bit of a funk.
"Late in the year, we established a running game and started to find the right nutrition of offensive linemen that's going to be able to protect the quarterback," Peterson explained. "If you go back and look at it, Mason, when he got into the starting lineup, and Mitch, I don't have the stats in front of me, but those guys are probably not sacked as they were early on in the year."
Peterson added that despite it being a new offensive regime with Arthur Smith, Tom Arth, and Zach Azzanni added to the coaching staff, most of the players will be returning. The team still needs to find a center and another tackle, but Peterson thinks Wilson sets the team up for success in 2024.
Do you agree with Peterson?
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