Mike Tomlin gambled and won, supplanting Justin Fields as his starting quarterback for Russell Wilson and netting results nothing short of splendid.
The Steelers annihilated the Jets, 37-15, on Sunday night in Wilson’s debut. And it wasn’t the slapfight between two washed quarterbacks we expected.
Wilson acquitted himself fancily by pushing Pittsburgh to 31 unanswered points with a hearty assist from the Steelers’ defense. It had two picks of Aaron Rodgers that Wilson and the offense turned into 14 points.
While Tomlin downplayed the gravity of his decision to bench Fields for the Super Bowl-winning veteran, let’s hope there is a tip of the cap coming for the front office that set it all up behind the scenes.
General manager Omar Khan hit home runs, assembling a roster perfectly suited to Tomlin’s preferred style of play. The Steelers have 10-plus points in five of the past six quarters, and Wilson might be dropping back behind the best line that he’s ever had thanks to Khan’s heavy investment in the trenches.
Consider the Steelers used a center, Ryan McCollum, making his first start in three years at the heart of their offensive line against the Jets’ talented defense. The 26-year-old undrafted free agent is a prime example of Khan having his bases covered. McCollum was in the lineup with 2024 second-round rookie Zach Frazier out of the lineup for a few weeks with a sprained ankle.
Frazier had only moved to the spot to cover for Nate Herbig (torn rotator cuff).
Fans have served a heaping helping of criticism on the front office despite a 5-2 start, primarily those enamored with landing a big-name receiver. They wanted Brandon Aiyuk. Or Davante Adams.
Draft gems have been so common in Pittsburgh, dating to Kevin Colbert’s extended run as a championship teambuilder, they are being taken for granted. Linebacker Alex Highsmith (third round), left tackle Dan Moore (fourth round, 2021), right guard Mason McCormick (fourth round, 2024), and inside linebacker Payton Wilson (third round, 2024) all fill massive roles for the Steelers but arrived as Day Three picks.
The drumbeat remains for a No. 1 receiver with name value before the trade deadline next month.
Steelers fans might want to pause and appreciate the emergence of one of Khan’s second-round picks, Joey Porter Jr., locking down Adams with three catches for 30 yards and zero catches after halftime. Perhaps take a moment to recall the No. 32 pick used to select Porter came because the front office pried the second-round pick away from the Chicago Bears for wide receiver Chase Claypool.
While the other team was imploding Sunday night and Aaron Rodgers’ masterplan reunion with Adams was crashing, burning, and putting the Jets’ season on the brink at 2-5, the Steelers were zipping passes to overlooked and unsung role players (hello, fourth-rounder Calvin Austin).
And take note of the flashes of dominance, including a key fourth-down pressure and tipped pass, by another second-rounder (2023), nose tackle Keeanu Benton.
Wilson’s leading receiver on Sunday? Try 2022 second-rounder George Pickens. And who caught the second TD pass? Van Jefferson, who played for OC Arthur Smith in Atlanta and signed for a mere $1.12 million.
Wilson was available on the cheap and on the rebound because of a messy divorce in Denver. Much like Fields, he failed to nail down the opportunity handed to him along with the keys to the franchise he was with last.
In Pittsburgh, he has protection because of where Khan has invested the money he’s saving by not paying a quarterback. Khan used picks and good fortune to move up and draft starting right tackle Broderick Jones in 2023. Jones hasn’t been the “special talent” Tomlin said he could be as an NFL tackle, but here’s the other thing we know about Khan. He’s not afraid to move on.
That’s another reason we’ve arrived at this point with the Steelers. They kicked out failed projects at multiple positions in the offseason. Kenny Pickett didn’t get it done at quarterback. Diontae Johnson failed to hold up his end of the new contract the Steelers gave him in 2022.
With Khan at the controls, there was more than enough help around Wilson to make Pittsburgh appear to be a contender again. We’ll find out more about Wilson in the weeks to come.
But what we found out Sunday night is what a difference a roster makes.
