Flavell's Five Thoughts: Steelers QB1 Tops Every List

The Pittsburgh Steelers preseason is upon us.

Jul 28, 2024; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) talks to wide receiver Calvin Austin III (19) during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports / Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are QB1 and QB2 on the depth chart. Rumors are swirling about Brandon Aiyuk and a potential trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers draft class filled a lot of holes and they enter 2024 without many true glaring voids in the roster. General Manager Omar Khan wouldn’t have it any other way.

A lackluster Steelers offense led to the hiring of Arthur Smith and the dismissal of the entire quarterback room from 2023. The defense returns nearly every key piece and adds inside linebacker Patrick Queen and some depth in the secondary. The arrow is pointing up for a team that squeaked into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth last season only to get quickly dismissed by the Buffalo Bills.

Luckily for me, I get to run it back this season with Flavell’s Five Thoughts. As always, I’ve got some so without further ado, let’s talk Steelers.

Russ Wilson Getting First Shot Isn't So Bad

It seems pretty clear a large portion of Steeler fans want to see Justin Fields under center when the Steelers open the season in Atlanta on September 8. I am excited for what he brings to the table too. There is no doubt his ceiling is higher than Wilson’s. What the Steelers haven’t had in the past handful of seasons is steady quarterback play. Wilson is going to provide that.

The Russ Wilson of old is not what the Steelers are getting. He isn’t the MVP-caliber, Super Bowl winning quarterback that he once was. However, Wilson provides a baseline play that will far succeed what the Kenny Pickett/Mason Rudolph tandem provided. He still has a good, lively arm that will help stretch the field and use a weapon like George Pickens on the outside more frequently. The middle-of-the-field offense that was non-existent with Pickett throwing the ball will be of greater use going forward.

With Arthur Smith, the offense as a whole will be a real-NFL offense as opposed to Matt Canada’s scheme - if we can even call it that - from last season. Wilson will provide stability under that.

Fields is dynamic and there is no doubt in my mind that there will be packages for him. If Wilson is worse than planned, I think Mike Tomlin would love to see Fields get the chance to run the Steelers’ offense. There is a good chance that the Steelers have their quarterback of 2025, and hopefully beyond, with Fields.

The Rookie Wilsons Will be Steelers Rookies of the Year

The Steelers draft class served its purpose and the board fell almost as perfectly as it could’ve for them. Troy Fautanu was a top-tier pick. He played a lot of college football and started a lot of games on one of the best offensive lines in the country.

The Steelers went into the draft with no starting caliber centers on the roster. Zach Frazier fell to them and they pounced ever so quickly. Those aren’t sexy picks but they’re two guys who filled important holes on the Steelers’ roster.

However, it is the next two picks that the Steelers made that excite me the most.

Wide receiver Roman Wilson, the Steelers’ first of two third round picks certainly has a chance to make a rookie season splash. As the depth chart currently stands, it is George Pickens and then a bunch of unproven and uncertain NFL talent. Wilson scored 12 touchdowns at Michigan last season and was a favorite target of first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

If he makes a good impression in camp when he returns from injury, there is a chance he could play himself into a solid role within the Steelers’ offense. A trade for a significant wide receiver challenge could hamper some of his opportunity but he’ll still look to have a role regardless.

Payton Wilson is as talented an inside linebacker as they come. He is a firecracker and the Steelers got him in a spot where they absolutely had to take him. There is a lot of uncertainty at the position behind Patrick Queen following the devastating injury to Cole Holcomb last season and Elandon Roberts ending the season hurt despite playing through the pain.

Wilson fills a nice need for the Steelers and does not have to be forced into every down playing time right away. If I had to bet, however, he will earn a big portion of it by the time the final whistle blows at Acrisure Stadium in January against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Healthy Minkah Fitzpatrick in Right Role Will Be Huge

Minkah Fitzpatrick is among the top 30 players in the NFL when healthy. I don’t care what the NFL Top 100 players list has to say, especially when three players are listed higher than Patrick Mahomes but that is an issue for another time.

Fitapatrick is a ballhawk that also sails all over the field and oftentimes leads the Steelers in tackles. He’s a human missile and the Steelers missed his production last season as he only played in 10 games before returning for the playoff game and making 10 tackles.

He’s got 19 interceptions in six seasons with zero last season. Not only did he suffer his own injuries last season but the Steelers were forced to use Fitzpatrick in a way he shouldn’t have to play. Instead of being able to sit over the top and play a true free safety roaming around trying to make plays on the ball, Fitzpatrick played a lot more in the box helping out stop the run because the Steelers didn’t have the personnel to let him play his true spot.

It’s no secret that a good pass rush will always lead to more turnovers because it forces quarterbacks to make plays quicker. With T.J. Watt and Co. rushing off the edge again this season, the Steelers will be getting a handful of interceptions from the former Alabama standout.

Najee-Jaylen Dynamic

Speaking of Alabama standouts, Najee Harris’ fifth-year option was declined leading to speculation that the Steelers will proceed beyond this season with the cheaper option at the position that has proven to be more explosive to this point.

I tend to think that the Steelers will ride the hot hand as the season rolls on and there will be no true RB1. The depth chart will likely list Harris as the RB1 unless Warren completely overtakes the spot.

Arthur Smith’s offense will cater more to the running game and using the tight ends in the passing game, a welcome sight for a team known for those two positions. I think this is the best chance Harris has to succeed after years in an offensive scheme that simply wasn’t NFL-caliber. He is still a guy that has three 1,000 yard seasons under his belt so he isn’t a bust by any means but it is clear many want more consistency out of Harris.

Warren is the spark plug who handles the ball well in the passing game and also has the ability to turn a short gain into a long run by bowling would-be tacklers over.

The Steelers are best served by labeling Harris and Warren as RB1 A&B as there doesn’t need to be any ego or pedigree in the way. If Harris starts the game and is rolling, ride him. If Harris isn’t playing well and Warren provides the spark the team is looking for, he needs to stay in the game. It simply just has to be a game plan/game flow-type of tandem.

Way-Too-Early Predictions

The Pittsburgh Steelers were a playoff team last season. The hill to climb seems larger this year with a handful of injured quarterbacks returning in the AFC including the likes of Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, and Anthony Richardson. All three of their teams missed the playoffs last season and arguably had an even better shot than the Steelers to make it with their signal-callers at full health.

The Steelers have upgraded at the quarterback position as well with Wilson and Fields so they aren’t necessarily bottom-feeders in the AFC either.

Many people are making a big deal of the schedule this season for the Steelers as they play the “easier” portion of the schedule before their week nine bye. All of their division games will be played in the final eight weeks of the season with four straight AFC North divisional ball games in weeks 11-14.

I am going to take the more optimistic approach and say the Steelers - with the appropriate amount of health, obviously - finish 11-6. They’ll use the front part of their schedule to get off to a hot start at 6-2 with losses in the opening game at the Falcons and at the Colts a few weeks later.

They always play the AFC North slate well, finishing at worst 3-3 in that stretch. A win over the Commanders coming out of the bye week will be coupled with a win in the Kenny Pickett Bowl which equates to an 11-win season and the second wild card spot.

They will win a playoff game but lose in the Divisional Round. Nevertheless, it will be a huge step forward for a team that has won a playoff game less recently than the Pittsburgh Penguins have won a Stanley Cup.

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