Predicting how quickly Steelers bench former Broncos QB Russell Wilson in 2024

The Pittsburgh Steelers have remodeled their QB room this offseason, and one of the new additions is former Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson. Below is the Steelers schedule for the 2024 NFL Season, which features a Week 2 showdown in Denver

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 8, at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m
.Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 15, at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 22, vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m.
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 29, at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 6, vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 13, at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m.
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 20, vs. New York Jets, 8:20 p.m.
Week 8: Monday, Oct. 28, vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m.
Week 9: Bye Week
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 10, at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 17, vs. Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m.
Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 21, at Cleveland Browns, 8:15 p.m.
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 1, at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m.
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 8, vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 15, at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m.
Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 21, at Baltimore Ravens, 4:30 p.m.
Week 17: Wednesday, Dec. 25, vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m.
Week 18: Date/Time TBD, vs. Cincinnati Bengals

With Russell Wilson surely the starter, but Justin Fields backing him up, Wilson's leash might be incredibly short, as Fields is still young and has a very high ceiling as a runner. In fact, many have gone so far as to say that Justin Fields can still be a franchise QB in the NFL, but needs the right situation.

I am firmly out on Justin Fields, but we are bound to see him start some games for the Steelers in 2024, right? I think so. So, when does Russell Wilson get benched? If you think about it, Wilson was in the perfect scenario with Denver in 2023; he had a very strong offensive line, elite play-calling, and competent weapons. Him getting benched late in the 2023 NFL Season is an almost-guarantee that he will see the same fate in Pittsburgh, where the situation on offense is not nearly as good enough as it was in Denver in 2023.

The Steelers will play eight games before their Bye Week in the 2024 NFL Season. Since that is just about in the middle of the season, the easy answer here might be to hand the reigns over to Justin Fields during the Bye Week, as this would give him some time to ease into the starter role.

The Steelers will have some tougher defenses to face in their first half games in 2024. Games against the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Jets will very likely feature some stingy defenses that Russell Wilson and their offense may have some troubles with.

To me, I believe that the Steelers have to be at least .500 heading into their Bye Week for Russell Wilson to keep his starting job. In my opinion, a 3-5 or worse record through eight games should propel Justin Fields into the starting lineup. It may take several weeks for Russell Wilson and the Steelers offense to get some chemistry together, so the Bye Week might be a great place for them to re-assess their QB situation in 2024.