Despite his struggles, Russell Wilson still in line to start for Steelers

Former Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson struggled in his preseason debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend, but he’s still in line to start.

According to Mike Tomlin’s latest depth chart released on Tuesday, Wilson remains QB1 in Pittsburgh with Justin Fields slotted in as his backup.

Against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night, Wilson took three sacks, one of each his first three possessions. Those are the drive killers that drove head coach Sean Payton crazy in Denver, and Wilson exited with the Steelers scoring zero points late in the second quarter. They did have a 52-yard field goal missed by kicker Chris Boswell.

Still, Wilson’s three sacks cost Pittsburgh 21 yards, and the offense looked stuck in mud most of the time he was out there. Wilson finished 8-10 on the night for 47 yards, just 4.7 yards per attempt.

However, Fields came in the game and didn’t do much better. He led the Steelers to only three points the rest of the way in a 9-3 loss to Buffalo. He also put the ball on the turf, but recovered the fumble, and took a sack. Fields was 11-17 for 92 yards.

Of course Broncos fans are monitoring this competition closely. Not only because Payton cutting Wilson this offseason forced Denver to take on the largest dead salary cap hit in NFL history, but also because Pittsburgh is coming to Empower Field at Mile High in Week 2.

A large chunk of Broncos Country would like to see the Denver defense beat up on him in that game on Sept 15. Wilson will need to hold to the starting gig through the team’s opener at Atlanta, then return to a city that saw him play two frustrating years.

The Broncos are paying Wilson $39 million in 2024 either way. It looks like it’ll be as a starter for now, but that’s subject to change.

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