The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been particularly impressive throughout their first two preseason games, but former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik still thinks they’ll be a playoff team. However, he believes that Russell Wilson is the “only way” that the team will get there, and he thinks the team is being cautious with Wilson to keep him healthy.
“I’m still probably overly bullish on the Steelers being a postseason team. And I know Russell Wilson’s only thrown 10 balls this preseason, and it’s not been a lot, but I think they’re just trying to hold him back and make sure he gets to the starting line. They don’t want to see something happen to the guy that they know is the only way they’re gonna get to the postseason,” Dominik said during an appearance on First Up with Koralnek and Colaiacovo on TSN.
Dominik said he feels good about where Wilson will be to start the season.
“I think I feel very good about where Russell Wilson is going to be.”
Dominik added that he thinks the Steelers are contenders to win the AFC North and that they have an “underrated defense.”
Right now, the issues with the Steelers’ offense primarily lie with how their offensive line has performed, which has hindered the ability to really evaluate the quarterback play. But Wilson is more than likely going to be their guy to open up the season, and I think rushing to criticize him or question Pittsburgh’s quarterback room after his first preseason game is definitely a little bit premature.
The team was cautious with Wilson early in camp, as he suffered a calf injury during the team’s training camp conditioning test, but he ramped up work over the past few weeks and played five series in the second preseason game. I don’t think they’re holding him back all that much right now, but I don’t think their intentions of starting him have changed.
If the offensive line can improve, Pittsburgh’s quarterback play should improve, and the offense as a whole should wind up being better. It’s not a Russell Wilson problem or a Justin Fields problem, and Fields’ has looked like a better fit due to his mobility, and if the offensive line continues to crumble, then yeah, Fields would be a better option due to his escapability and mobility. But the Steelers simply won’t be good with a bad offensive line, regardless of who’s under center, so fixing their line play is the most important thing right now. If they do, Wilson is more than capable of leading Pittsburgh to the postseason.