Steelers' Cameron Heyward excited about Russell Wilson signing

Veteran Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward suggested during a Wednesday appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" that he thinks Pittsburgh will feature a version of Russell Wilson similar to the quarterback who earned nine Pro Bowl nods with the Seattle Seahawks instead of the guy discarded by the Denver Broncos after just two seasons. 

"You just look for the leadership he’s had," Heyward said about Wilson, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot and Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "A guy who’s been in Seattle, who’s won games, won the Super Bowl already. Didn’t have the best time in Denver, but I think he’s a hungry guy who’s ready to prove a lot of people wrong. I think on the opposite side of the ball, we have so many great weapons. Some of them are younger so having a more established guy who has been through it is gonna benefit the group."

Heyward along with Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly were "big advocates" of the Steelers signing Wilson last month after it became clear Denver would be parting ways with the 35-year-old. 

The Steelers later traded 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles before Pittsburgh acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears, and many believe it will be only a matter of time before Fields wins the starting job over Wilson this summer. 

Heyward echoed Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and mentioned on Wednesday how Wilson guided Denver to a 24-9 victory over the Super Bowl champion Chiefs this past October. 

"I think he can have a balance, game to game, and excel," Heyward added about Wilson, per Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. "Not many people beat (Kansas City quarterback) Patrick Mahomes last year, but Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos did. I know it's not one guy that gets it done, but Russ has done it in this game and knows how to beat top competition." 

According to Pro-Football-Reference, Wilson finished the 2023 regular season ranked eighth in the NFL among qualified players with a 98.0 passer rating. To compare, Pickett was 27th with an 81.4 passer rating. 

Such numbers indicate the Steelers may need Wilson to be merely a game manager this coming fall for the club to qualify for the playoffs for a second straight year.