After taking things slow to begin training camp and the preseason, veteran quarterback Russell Wilson will finally get his first chance to lead the Steelers’ offense in a game environment on Saturday.
After plenty of speculation throughout the week, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Thursday that the veteran will be getting the start during the Steelers’ second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
It’s a significant development for Russell Wilson, who came into training camp as the presumed starter, but has had to work, maybe a little harder than expected, to hold off fellow quarterback Justin Fields for the starting quarterback job.
When healthy, Russell Wilson looked good throughout training camp, showing off both his still talented arm, as well as the decision making that put him in the top five of quarterbacks in terms of touchdown to interception ratio last season. Fittingly, that is where many eyes will be playing close attention, looking to see how many scoring drives that a Russell Wilson led offense can lead in his handful of attempts Saturday night.
With Russell Wilson set to start, that will diminish Fields slightly, forcing him to come off the bench with the second unit. Still, a good performance from Fields can only help the young quarterback stay in the competition as well as potentially stay around long term.
Regardless of the quarterback the Steelers will be looking to play a much cleaner game than they did against the Houston Texans last week. Throughout their practices they have spent a bunch of their time working on the things that plagued them in that loss, from special teams to third downs, Tomlin will be looking for improvements across the board.
One area that was highly scrutinized was the botched exchanges between Fields and center Nate Herbig last week. This go-around Nate Herbig might not be able to play due to an injury, while not ruled out, if rookie Zach Frazier starts and performs well, it could be enough to vault him into the starting role by the time the season starts.
With plenty of focus, and deservedly so, the defense will again get a good measuring stick in the form of quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense. It’s the very same team that ended the Steelers’ season in the playoffs earlier in the year, and while both teams have gone through their fair share of changes, a good showing is sure to inspire some confidence in the Steelers’ progress.
Tomlin in the past has been very clear about he expects his players to make certain jumps in their football careers, often referring to the jump that players make between year one and year two in their careers. He’s said the same things about players going from their first preseason game to their second, so look for plenty of players to make that jump this week.
Two of the biggest will actually be on the defensive side of the ball despite the offensive focus. Payton Wilson and Beanie Bishop Jr., both had solid enough debuts, but will be tasked with building on them this week.
Wide receiver Quez Watkins will need to put forth a good game to try to stay in the Steelers plans for the position, his muffed punt from a week ago still leaving a mark. He bounced back in the team’s practices, so a good performance on the field will go a long way in helping his chances.
The offensive line doesn’t have as much drama this week with tackle Troy Fautanu being ruled out, but there are still a couple things to watch. If Nate Herbig doesn’t play, seeing who picks up the extra snaps at center will be interesting. Frazier and Ryan McCollum are the next two centers, with Frazier being the starter in Nate Herbig’s absence. Both Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick have snapped a little bit throughout camp, but haven’t seen much extended time at the position.
Outside of the Steelers players there are a couple of reunions occurring in the city of Pittsburgh with natives Ben DiNucci and Damar Hamlin both returning to play for the Bills after spending their high school days in the WPIAL. Also likely to see a good chunk of playing time against his former team is Mitch Trubisky, with the former Steeler now a backup for the Bills.
No matter what you are looking for, there will be something to watch for when the Steelers take on the Bills on Saturday night, whether that’s Russell Wilson’s debut, the development of the rookies or seeing how the team cleans up its mistakes from a week ago.