The Denver Broncos made a bold move when they cut Russell Wilson following the 2023 NFL Season, but it's proven to be the right move. A new update from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN indicates that the calf injury that Russell Wilson has been dealing with is a bit more serious than perhaps originally thought:
"“He’s simply not moving at a high clip at this point,” Fowler added. Justin Fields has proven himself more than capable of managing the ultra-conservative Steelers offense, and Wilson’s injury likely means the team couldn’t bench Fields even if head coach Mike Tomlin wanted to. The Steelers through three games are 10 percent under their expected drop back rate. “I still hold firm that the Steelers saw Wilson hold better command of the offense than Fields in the preseason,” Fowler said, “but in Tomlin axiom, this is a moving train that Fields hopped on with both feet. That gives him a considerable advantage currently."
- Jeremy Fowler
There is a lot to unpack here. Firstly, it seems as if Wilson still isn't close to 100% after suffering this injury during the 2024 NFL Offseason. Wilson signed with the Steelers and was essentially slotted into the starting role. And that should not come as a surprise; as their other QB acquisition, Justin Fields, just is not a good QB, but it's clear that Pittsburgh needed to re-make their QB room, and Fields is at least a fun player.
The calf injury gave Fields first-team reps, and the injury has obviously spilled into the regular season. To make this situation even more interesting; Fields and the Steelers are 3-0. You may think that this is because Fields is playing so well, but he really isn't, and I would have a hard time imagining that the Steelers' offensive coaches are going to continue to be find with this type of production.
Fields has thrown just two touchdown passes through three games. He's averaging 172.7 passing yards per game, and the Steelers rank 24th in the NFL in points scored, averaging just 17 points per game. To say that Justin Fields is playing well is simply not true, so you have to wonder how long of a leash he has as the starter.
I'd imagine that Russell Wilson will get healthy at some point, so we may get to see the former Denver Broncos' QB take the field for the Steelers. Denver cut ties with Wilson after just 30 stars, absorbing an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap, which will be spread across the 2024 and 2025 NFL Seasons.
Some people truly bashed the Denver Broncos for this move, but Russell Wilson is not only not healthy, but likely isn't going to start any games for the Steelers in 2024 unless something changes, and Bo Nix just came off of one of the more encouraging rookie QB performances in quite some time.
The Broncos had to get younger and embrace the youth movement if they hoped to get their franchise back on track. The move to cut Russell Wilson truly looks better by the day for the Broncos, and after the 2025 NFL Season, his contract extension with the team is going to be totally off the books.
