Shannon Sharpe Believes Russell Wilson Should Start Week 1 For Steelers

Russell Wilson made his first appearance for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, but the results weren’t great.

The 35-year-old made his first start for the Steelers in their preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. He went 8-for-10, finishing with 47 passing yards but was sacked three times in his five drives at the helm. Justin Fields came in for Wilson afterward, going 11-for-17 with 92 passing yards and adding 42 yards on the ground. He also led the Steelers for the drive that got them their lone three points of the game.

Despite the struggles that both Wilson and the Steelers offense dealt with in his first outing, ESPN’s Shannon Sharpe believes that Wilson should be the Week 1 starter.

On ESPN’s “First Take,” Sharpe said that Wilson’s overall experience in the league should give him the nod to start the season for Pittsburgh.

“With all things being said, I would probably start Russ because he’s the more experienced of the two quarterbacks but neither quarterback looked really good,” Sharpe said on “First Take.” “Mike Tomlin laid it out for you. They have to do a better job protecting the quarterback. They mentioned Russ has been dealing with a calf injury but just because of tenure alone, I would start Russ, but there’s no guarantee Russ is going to make it halfway through the season considering that he didn’t look well on Saturday night.”

Head coach Mike Tomlin has yet to make an official decision on who will get the Week 1 start, but Wilson has had the edge throughout the offseason and training camp according to multiple reports.

Both quarterbacks will get one final chance to make their case on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST when they take on the Detroit Lions in Pittsburgh’s final preseason game.

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