ESPN Names Steelers Player With Most To Prove In Training Camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot to prove in the 2024 season and it all starts on July 24.

Pittsburgh will officially kick off training camp Wednesday. This not only marks the start of a new season for the team, but a year where they’re trying to get over the hump of a “first-round and out” squad.

Over the last six seasons, the Steelers have made the playoffs three times. And in those three occasions, they’ve lost in the NFL Wild Card Round, showing no success beyond doing just enough to make the playoffs. A big reason for that has been the quarterback play, as replacing Ben Roethlisberger has been a difficult task for head coach Mike Tomlin and company.

As part of trying to solve those quarterback issues, the Steelers completely turned over their room by moving on from former first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett. By trading him to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Steelers made sure that this season would be different. They’d sign long-time veteran Russell Wilson to a one-year, $1.21 million deal after he was released by the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh didn’t stop there, also acquiring Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears.

So, that brings us to training camp. Both players have a lot to prove, but according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, it’s the nine-time Pro Bowler that has the most to prove out of anyone on the Steelers as training camp begins.

“Yes, Wilson is the most likely starter, but he still has plenty to prove after a rocky two-year tenure in Denver,” Pryor wrote in ESPN’s Steelers training camp preview. “His numbers improved in Year 2 with the Broncos, throwing 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions after throwing 16 TDs and 11 INTs in 2022, but his 50.7 QBR was the second lowest of his career. He recorded his lowest QBR — 38.7 — in that dismal 2022 season.

“Though he’ll turn 36 during the season, Wilson said during minicamp that he found the fountain of youth in Pittsburgh — and the Steelers certainly hope that’s the case after a complete overhaul of the quarterback room. Both Wilson and the Steelers are searching for a fresh start and playoff success after falling short in recent seasons, and if Wilson can’t produce and minimize mistakes from the jump, Justin Fields will be waiting in the wings for his own second-chance opportunity.”

Wilson, as noted by Pryor, did have a bit of a resurgence last season for Denver. But that still was a year full of struggles, even with the strong 26:8 TD:INT ratio. While the quarterback talks about the fountain of youth, his days of success that he saw as the starter of the Seattle Seahawks is likely well behind him.

The 35-year-old will enter training camp as the likely starter for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, but the chances of Justin Fields taking over have to be high if the struggles happen early on.

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