ex-Seahawks star Russell Wilson at the top of Steelers QB depth chart, for now

Former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is entering his third act in the NFL this season. After the shocking trade that sent him to the Broncos two and a half years ago, Wilson surprisingly bombed in a bad way and was eventually cut despite Denver having to take on a dead money hit of eleventy bajillion dollars.

That enabled the Steelers to sign Wilson for the veteran minimum and even in a diminished form he's a massive upgrade over what Pittsburgh got out of the game's most important postiion last season. Yesterday the team revealed its first unofficial depth chart ahead of Friday night's preseason game against the Texans and Wilson was at the top at QB.

That may not be the case for long, because the Steelers are having a legitimate quarterback competition, which head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed today. With Wilson currently sidelined by a calf injury, Justin Fields will start against Houston.

It's a big opportunity for Fields, who has a higher ceiling at this point in his career than Russell Wilson, who hasn't actually been Russell Wilson since the first half of the 2020 season. The Seahawks front office was exceptionally sharp to see the decline coming and cut ties with Russ at exactly the right time.

No matter how this third act goes for Wilson, he should be welcomed back for at least a one-day contract in Seattle when it's time for him to retire.

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