Tom Pelissero Believes Steelers ‘Will Give Russell Wilson Every Opportunity to Be the Man’

After the Pittsburgh Steelers signed QB Russell Wilson in free agency, it seemed like this would be their big move in the quarterback market. However, shortly after, general manager Omar Khan made a shocking move and traded for Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields. These two moves have created a very intriguing quarterback battle this summer, but Tom Pelissero believes Wilson will start more games for Pittsburgh this year.

“Russell Wilson (will start more games) because they want to give Russell Wilson every opportunity to be the guy,” Pelissero said on the Rich Eisen Show. “Justin Fields is doing remarkable things. He’s creating highlight reels like few players in the NFL, but it’s the consistency of play that’s not there. It’s running the offense the way it could be designed instead of creating it.”

Russell Wilson certainly has the best starting position to begin this season, but with a player like Fields behind him, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an early move if the Steelers fall into a hole early in the year. With Wilson on the veteran minimum for one year, there’s really no reason to keep him around if he doesn’t improve from the form he showed with the Denver Broncos.

Russell Wilson, however, is the much more established quarterback, and it’s not a wild guess to say he’ll play better than he did in Denver. Plus, while numbers don’t tell the whole story, if Wilson can match his numbers from last season — 3,070 yards throwing, 26 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions — then the Steelers will surely accept it. Last year, Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks threw for just 13 total touchdowns.

I think Russell Wilson will start the season as the Steelers’ quarterback, and as long as he plays at an adequate level, he could potentially play all year. But I don’t think head coach Mike Tomlin is uber-committed to him. If Wilson plays like he did in 2022, I could see Pittsburgh moving on to Fields as early as week three or four. The Steelers have an insanely tough schedule, especially the second half, and if Wilson isn’t working out, it would be foolish to keep him there when the team needs to pile up wins. Wilson is 35, and he can certainly improve on a new team, but if it’s week three and he’s still playing poorly, I think it’s safe to say that’s where he is at this point, and you have to pull the plug from there.