Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was scrutinized for making a quarterback change before the team’s Week 7 game against the New York Jets.
Despite Justin Fields leading the team to a 4-2 record and throwing just a single interception, Tomlin pivoted to veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. Two wins later, the Steelers are 6-2 entering their bye and Wilson has proven to be a decisive upgrade.
How Has Russell Wilson Improved the Steelers Offense?
Expectations were low for Wilson. The Steelers signed him to a one-year minimum contract after the Denver Broncos took a historic $53 million dead cap hit to part ways with the former Super Bowl winner.
But now, Wilson has not only earned a starting job again but outperformed expectations through his first two games with the Steelers.
Wilson has outperformed Fields by PFN’s QB+ metric, which isolates some situational areas of quarterback play to provide an overall grade. Wilson has received two of the three highest grades by a Steelers quarterback this season:
- Wilson: 70.6 (B+) in Week 7 vs. Jets
- Fields: 66.2 (B) in Week 4 vs. Indianapolis Colts
- Wilson: 63.8 (B-) in Week 8 vs. New York Giants
The Steelers’ offense with Wilson at quarterback has been a big-play machine compared to the unit with Fields. Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth specifically cited explosive plays as an area where Wilson has improved the offense.
"Russell Wilson has done great and he's helping us make explosive plays..
He's been one hell of a leader for us and he's great in the huddle" ~ @pat_fry5 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/A2Z03J7N72
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 29, 2024
The numbers back up Freiermuth’s statement. In two games with Wilson, the Steelers have already hit on nine completions of 20+ yards. They had 15 total in six games with Fields.
In fact, 25% of Wilson’s completions have gained 20 or more yards this season. That’s the highest of any quarterback this season among 41 to complete at least 30 passes.
George Pickens has been the primary beneficiary of Wilson’s playing style. Wilson has thrived airing it out, going 5-of-7 for 189 yards and a touchdown on passes traveling 20+ air yards. Pickens has caught three of those passes. In contrast, Fields was 6-of-22 on those deep throws.
Russ to Pickens. What a throw. What a catch. 🎯
📺: #NYGvsPIT on ESPN/ABC/ESPN2
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/zbMQPqm3hF— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024
Overall, Pickens is averaging 92.5 yards per game and 20.6 yards per reception since Wilson became the Steelers quarterback. He was down at 60.5 yards per game and 14.0 yards per catch with Fields.
On a related note, the Steelers have leaned more into the play-action passing game with Wilson under center. Pittsburgh is using play action on 38% of Wilson’s dropbacks, compared to 31% for Fields.
Those plays have been extremely fruitful, with Wilson going 15-of-22 for 275 yards (12.5 yards per attempt) off of play-action passes. Fields was 29-of-45 off of play-action passes but averaged just 5.2 yards per attempt.
Play action has been a missing component of the Steelers’ offense in recent seasons. Pittsburgh ranked in the bottom five in play-action usage every season from 2019 to 2023. But with Arthur Smith calling plays season, they’re using it at the third-highest rate (32.9%).
The Steelers may not be producing points at the level of the “Killer Bs'” heyday, but Wilson has opened up an offense that has felt very restricted for years. Pittsburgh has made some surprise playoff runs recently, but the 2024 team feels like a legitimate AFC contender.