As long as future Hall of Famer Mike Tomlin is their head coach, the Pittsburgh Steelers will probably always be OK. But for as much nonsense as Tomlin has put up with in Pittsburgh lately, his latest test as a coach this season may take the case.
The Steelers are coming off a 2023 season in which they won 10 games and clinched a playoff spot despite some of the worst quarterback stability in the NFL. This blue-blood pro football franchise started Kenny “Mitchell Trubisky 2.0” Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky 1.0, and Mason “How Is He Still In The League” Rudolph in 2023 and still, somehow, qualified for the postseason even though it played in the challenging AFC.
It boggles the mind.
Pittsburgh is counting on new blood in its quarterback room to give it more game-changing ability at the sport’s most important position. After all, if Tomlin can get to 10 wins and the playoffs effectively without a signal-caller, what can he do with a real difference-maker?
The bad news is that this optimism is misplaced. Why?
Because late-stage Russell Wilson is their best answer, especially with how delusional he seems. Woof.
According to oddsmakers with FanDuel, the veteran quarterback is the favorite to start over Justin Fields (who is apparently moonlighting as a kick returner in a virtual sense) for the Steelers in Week 1. I’m not as low as others on Wilson as he enters his age-35 season. I do think he still has something to offer in the NFL. But let’s be clear. He is a far cry from the perennial Pro Bowler who once scrambled around defenders and launched perfect moonballs every Sunday in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s not even close.
I don’t care how good the Steelers think their supporting cast is. Whatever their thought process is here, it’s probably overstated. If Wilson doesn’t have the juice anymore — and I’m reasonably confident he doesn’t — then Tomlin will likely have to perform another miracle to keep Pittsburgh relevant.
Evergreen news flash that I’m sure will shock everyone: that’s just how the NFL works. You either have a competent quarterback, or you’re up a creek without a paddle.
There is a possibility that Wilson will flash again with more quality support around him. The Denver Broncos, who ruined his reputation, were one of the worst teams in the league, with glorified turnstiles playing offensive line. It would have been hard for anyone to succeed in that situation. The Steelers are making a bet that taking things off Wilson’s plate will help him thrive in a manner we haven’t really seen since the turn of the decade.
But that’s a lofty bet. It posits that Wilson’s recent issues were mostly rooted in Denver’s poor roster construction, even though he was a guy who almost finished with more bathrooms in his Colorado-area house than touchdown passes in 2022. The answer is closer to somewhere in the middle. Both the Broncos and Wilson were awful together, augmenting each other’s worst flaws.
And make no mistake: If the Steelers are forced to turn to Fields, there’s no rational reason to expect a player who is still grappling with basic processing to become the organization’s savior.
If (or when?) Wilson fails in Pittsburgh, you have to wonder if his ineptitude would quietly break Tomlin’s spirit. Everyone has their breaking point. Even after signing a recent long-term contract extension, I wouldn’t rule out Tomlin’s Steelers giving new meaning to the Terrible Towel.
