While it’s certainly fair to question the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation with Russell Wilson as the starter and Justin Fields as the backup, no one can sit here and say the Steelers aren’t in a much better situation than they were last year.
Kenny Pickett was a disaster, period. Part of that can be attributed to Matt Canada being a terrible offensive coordinator, but Pickett isn’t blameless for his struggles in Pittsburgh.
Despite this, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco believes Wilson, a Super Bowl winner and nine-time Pro Bowler, is only “slightly” better than Pickett. He also thinks the Steelers are the worst team in the division heading into the 2024 campaign.
Both of these stances have of course sparked a lot of anger from Steelers fans, and even former running back Le’Veon Bell weighed in. Bell didn’t go into detail, but his tweet in response made it clear that he doesn’t agree with Prisco’s thinking about Wilson.
Russel Wilson only “slightly” better than Kenny Pickett? ? https://t.co/KZPKjipGG2
— Le’Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) August 30, 2024
Yes, Wilson had a tough two years with the Denver BroncosBut if the Steelers had Wilson’s 66.3 percent completion rate, 3,070 passing yards and 26 scores to nine interceptions last season, they would have won at least a few more games, and it’s not crazy to think they could have won the division.
Knowing that and the stability that head coach Mike Tomlin brings each year, it’s surprising that analysts like Prisco are so pessimistic about Pittsburgh heading into this season. It should be the other way around.
At this point, Prisco’s position should not be unexpected. After all, the national media has been waging an anti-Wilson campaign for some time now, and it has reached a point where it is obsessive and almost personal.
