Steelers $22,845.67 Million Prolific Player Has Been Traded And Set To Leave As…

After being released by the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson fielded immediate interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. While he ultimately chose Pittsburgh, the team reportedly provided him with little clarity on its quarterback plans for 2024.

When Wilson was signed, it was presumed he would be the starting quarterback over Kenny Pickett. Then in the span of just a few days, Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Steelers acquired Justin Fields. Suddenly, Pittsburgh lad legitimate competition to challenge Wilson for the starting job.

While Wilson played fairly well in Sean Payton’s system last season, the belief around the NFL was that his stats were inflated. He is still viewed as a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL, but Fields’ rushing ability and upside as a passer give him a viable shot to win the starting job in training camp.

New York missed out on Wilson after not promising him a shot to become the starter. As for Las Vegas, it quickly signed Gardner Minshew to a two-year deal worth $15 million guaranteed, but it also didn’t guarantee him the starting job. While Wilson came off the board first, it appears he had the same situation in Pittsburgh.

However, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, the Steelers “didn’t give any” assurances to Wilson that he would be their starting quarterback in 2024. Pittsburgh made it clear the job needed to be earned and that’s a competition the former Super Bowl champion welcomed.

Wilson would seemingly be the favorite to start in Week 1, but it is going to be a back-and-forth competition. Neither Fields nor Wilson are a great fit in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense, given they rarely throw over the middle. Both quarterbacks also have similar flaws – high sack rates and turnovers – which makes this one of the most interesting battles to watch this summer.

For now, it’s assumed that Wilson will likely open the season as the Steelers starting quarterback. However, both he and Fields will likely receive plenty of opportunities to play this fall. The better performer could earn a new contract from Pittsburgh next offseason.

READ MORE:

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. Last year, the Steelers dealt offensive lineman Kendrick Green to the Houston Texans. Both players were disappointments as either a first-round or Day 2 draft selection for Pittsburgh.

But the Steelers may not be done trading away underachieving draft picks from the Kevin Colbert era. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko argued on March 29 that the Steelers could shop defensive tackle DeMarvin Leal this offseason.

“Any trade, you look to deal from a position of strength to help shore up a position of weakness. One spot on the Steelers roster that at least has depth from top to bottom is the defensive line,” Batko said on the North Shore Nine podcast. “Occasionally, players who can have some value to other teams in trade talks are ones that have decent draft pedigree and physical attributes, measurables and just haven’t panned out in the NFL.

“What’s been Mike Tomlin’s phrase du jour this offseason? Change of scenery. He said Kenny Pickett wanted it. Justin Fields wanted it. So, sometimes that can help a guy too.

“I look at the Steelers’ D-line, kind of go down the list, DeMarvin Leal, third-rounder a couple years ago just has not panned out here through two seasons. A little bit injury-induced, but I think more so just hasn’t developed the way they want.”

Leal started four games during the first half of the 2023 season. But his playing time significantly decreased after Cameron Heyward returned from his injury.

Then over Pittsburgh’s final six games, including the playoffs, Leal was a healthy scratch five times.

The Steelers drafted Leal at No. 84 overall in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. He posted 15 combined tackles, including 2 tackles for loss and 2 quarterback hits in 12 games last season. He also had 1 sack and 1 pass defense.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said nothing about trading Leal this offseason when he addressed the 2022 third-round pick’s future during his post-season press conference. But Tomlin made it rather clear that the team isn’t exactly pleased with his development.

“There certainly is,” Tomlin answered on January 18 to a question about whether Leal could have a role with the team in 2024. “But he’s got to be a component of that.

“Obviously, we put helmets on guys that we think are best positioned to help us secure victory, and he hadn’t been a component of that, and so he’s got some work to do.”

Batko suggested Leal’s lack of success could be the result of a poor work ethic. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo wrote that Leal showed up to training camp out of shape last year.

“He has talent, but he doesn’t seem to have much urgency to develop,” add Fittipaldo.