Steelers' lone offensive team captain may not be a starter by the end of the season

With less than a week before their first regular-season game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced their 2024 team captains. None of these names came as a surprise, but one in particular should leave fans scratching their heads.

The Steelers voted for a pair of unsurprising team captains on defense: T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. This is Heyward's tenth season as team captain and Watt's fourth year with this title. These are the most tenured players on the team and are widely considered the team leaders.

On special teams, Miles Killebrew -- who earned Pro Bowl honors for his special teams ability in 2023 -- was selected as team captain for the third time.

Just one player was selected as team captain on offense, and at first glance, there's nothing abnormal about this decision.

Russell Wilson earns the status of team captain in his first year with the Steelers. This marks 12 years in a row that Wilson has been voted captain. The quarterback has now been a captain on three different football teams every year except his rookie season in 2012.

The irony is that Wilson may not last the season as the team's starting quarterback.

Steelers didn't have a clear choice for an offensive team captain

Russell Wilson was likely the right choice for offensive team captain. He has as much NFL experience as anyone on the roster outside of Cam Heyward to go with playoff success and a Super Bowl victory. But because of the bizarre circumstances, Wilson may fulfill his duties as a captain from the sidelines in the second half of the season.

While there was never a true 'competition' at quarterback this summer, Wilson could be on a short leash. Waiting in the wings is a 25-year-old Justin Fields with exceedingly more size, arm talent, and mobility than Wilson -- not to mention he's a literal decade younger.

If the Steelers are having trouble putting the football in the endzone and they start losing games, it will be tempting not to go with the more dynamic backup who, at the very least, can make things happen and move the chains with his legs.

Wilson was a team captain during his two years in Denver, but that didn't stop the Broncos from cutting him before his third season and eating a tremendous amount of dead money against the cap. Unfortunately, there wasn't an obvious choice to hold down the offensive team captain's job.

George Pickens may be the best overall offensive player, but his youth and immaturity at times make him ill-suited for the job. Isaac Seumalo is a seasoned veteran but has only one season under his belt with the Steelers. Najee Harris has approached the game with the right attitude, but running back Jaylen Warren could see a bigger cut of the pie from the backfield this year.

Wilson takes the place of Kenny Pickett as the lone offensive team captain. Ironically, Pickett didn't make it through the 2023 season as the team's starting quarterback despite the first-round draft capital spent to acquire him in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Wilson turns 36 years old in November, was cut by a bad Broncos team during the offseason, and is on a veteran minimum contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. If things don't go well early, this team captain isn't guaranteed to be a starter by the end of the year.