Russell Wilson has really been cooking with the Steelers, hasn’t he? His transition from the Denver Broncos to the Pittsburgh Steelers has been an eye-opener. Gone are the times when Wilson took 55 sacks in a season. Maybe Sean Payton and him not getting along had a lot to do with his gradually declining performance in the Denver team.

Hall of Famer NFL QB turned analyst, Kurt Warner, took to The Rich Eisen Show. And he dropped some well-thought-out arguments about why Russell Wilson is a question mark in the Steelers. Eisen wanted to know if Russ had “turned the corner” and Warner gave his mixed reaction on the show. Wilson hasn’t fully gained the confidence of this Hall of Famer QB just yet.

Russell Wilson might still have some more to prove

Warner started off by telling Wilson’s Seattle tale and how he was so great there. Everything collapsed for the QB when he transitioned to the Broncos and finished 11-19 with the franchise. That’s because Warner thinks Russ is not good when it comes to reading coverages and that was the need of the hour during his time with the Broncos. Perhaps that’s why they traded him and took $85 million in dead cap.

“When he moved to Denver and they asked him to play a different way and actually see the field, read the field, he hasn’t been as good. He hasn’t been able to see the field very well,” Warner said on The Rich Eisen Show. Now the former NFL QB wants to see Russ ball out and show everyone that he’s still got it.

“So now, getting, you know, inserted in Pittsburgh, that’s what I’ve kind of been watching for in these last couple of games. And I’ll just say that the games from that perspective have been pretty easy for him,” Warner further added and pointed out that since Russ has only played two games with the Steelers, it’s difficult to tell whether he’s actually improved or not.

A lot of people would say that Wilson’s height is one of the factors due to which he can’t see what’s going on deep down the field. So, that’s why he has to extend plays, scramble, and eventually take all those sacks. He took 100 sacks in his time with the Broncos. But coming back to the two games he’s played with the Steelers, it’s mostly been “one-on-one” throws he’s been making, per Warner. Wilson thrives for one-on-one throws and those deep passes look incredible.

The “verdict is still out” on Russell Wilson till he gives us more of a sample size to judge upon. In two games, Wilson has thrown for 542 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. His pass completion percentage against the Jets defense was a bit wonky (55.2%). But against the flailing New York Giants, Russ completed 71.2% of these throws. But if we’re being completely honest, beating those New York teams isn’t really a flex.

While the former NFL QB has been getting a lot of flak from a lot of analysts, he’s made one of them eat their own words.

Russell Wilson looks different in Pittsburgh

The thing is, Wilson never really inspired much trust in his time with the Denver Broncos. Also, he took a lot of blame for his performance. Even in his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, people thought he was coddled by the then-head coach Pete Carroll. Chris Long thought that “Russell Wilson is seeing how the other half lives,” meaning that the Steel City fans will “turn on him” if he doesn’t do his job properly.

But after Wilson won two games in a row and made George Pickens a star once again, Chris Long had to backpedal and issue an apology. It felt like Long meant what he was saying. He was sincere. The QB, who won a SB for the Seattle Seahawks, has now flipped a switch in Chris Long.

In his apology, Long said, “I’ve gotten a lot of things right over the last year. This is one that I didn’t get right. Justin Fields didn’t do quite enough, and [Wilson] might be perfect for what they’re trying to do. He might be perfect for this coordinator. He might be perfect for taking advantage of the shots. The shot opportunities that we didn’t even know were there, the play-action.”

Again, it’s too early to judge the 9x Pro Bowler’s performance in Steel City right now. Wilson will face his first decent team as the Steelers play the Washington Commanders on Sunday. That might clear some air for everyone.

While Russell Wilson is slowly changing the Steelers franchise, there are others off the field who are doing a lot to change the football landscape. Hear all about it in the latest episode of our Think Tank podcast.