Russell Wilson needs an electrifying debut before 'Justin Fields' chants erupt

When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson during the 2024 offseason, it was with the full expectation that he would be the team's starting quarterback all year. That was before Pittsburgh stumbled upon an opportunity they couldn't pass up.

The Chicago Bears owned the number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the opportunity to take a generational quarterback prospect like Caleb Williams was too good to pass up. This made Justin Fields expendable. However, the market for the polarizing quarterback was dry, and the Steelers landed him for the price of a Day 3 conditional draft pick.

Fields was electrifying during the summer thanks to his cannon arm and remarkable legs. His traits showed up often in training camp, though he didn't muster up many scoring drives in the preseason. Meanwhile, Wilson suffered a blow when he nursed a calf injury for the first half of Steelers training camp.

While there was never a real competition as to which quarterback would be named the starter to begin the season, nobody is under the assumption that Wilson's job is safe in 2024. To keep the fanbase on his side of the fence, Wilson needs an impressive performance in Week 1.

Steelers offense needs to string together success quickly for Russell Wilson's sake

Everyone and their mother is aware of the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have a veteran starter who was cut by the Broncos and turns 36 years old in November. Behind him with the clipboard is a player beloved by many Bears fans who happens to be a generational athlete at the quarterback position and is 25 years old and coming off his best NFL season.

What could go wrong?

While I completely understand Mike Tomlin's decision to name Wilson the starter, I also know how fast this fanbase could turn their back on him if the Steelers aren't yielding the desired results on offense.

Unfortunately for Wilson, some of this will be out of his control. The Steelers saw tremendous roster turnover on offense this season. Pittsburgh could be starting three inexperienced players on the offensive line, and the front office wasn't able to upgrade the wide receiver position opposite George Pickens.

If the struggles on the O-line from the preseason persist against the Falcons in Week 1, Wilson will be at a severe disadvantage. A situation like this isn't hard to imagine. If he doesn't have enough time to throw the football, and if the running game can't get anything going, the offensive struggles will come back on the veteran quarterback who was brought in to be an improvement at the position.

Steelers fans have gone through two years of drought at quarterback play, and regardless of the outcome of the game, they will lose it if they see Wilson come out with 175 passing yards and zero touchdowns in his debut.

Because of Justin Fields' youth and tools, it's only reasonable that he offers more hope of a future than Wilson. Sadly, these factors will have the Steelers' fanbase turning on Wilson as early as Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons if the offense looks like it did last year.

I agree that Russell Wilson should be on a short leash in 2024, but we need to give this offense at least a few weeks to gel before we start banging the table for the backup quarterback.