After the Denver Broncos officially released quarterback Russell Wilson last week, he signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During his introductory press conference on Friday, Wilson attributed his struggles in Denver to a shoulder injury.
“I think it’s all about how you look at it,” Wilson said when asked about two “disappointing” seasons in Denver. “I think in life, a lot of times when things don’t go your way you can look at it as disappointing or growth moments.
“For me, my first year, I had my lat [injury]. I was playing on it, pushing through it. Should I have done that? You compete every day. You got to do what you got to do. I think everything didn’t go our way the first year. This past year I felt like myself again. You know, so I can’t wait to just put on the cleats and go after it.”
Wilson suffered a “partially torn lat” in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, according to an ESPN report. In the three games before that injury, Wilson averaged 247 passing yards, 0.66 touchdown passes, three sacks and 0.33 interceptions per game. Denver’s offense averaged 14.3 points per game in the three contests before Wilson’s shoulder injury.
There were certainly contributing factors for Wilson’s struggles in 2022 — Nathaniel Hackett’s abysmal offense among them — but to suggest all of the struggles were connected to his injury seems to be a stretch.
Wilson did have a bounce-back year under coach Sean Payton in 2023, improving his completion percentage, touchdown percentage and interception percentage last fall. It wasn’t enough, though, as Payton ultimately decided to move on from the veteran QB.
A healthy Wilson now gets a fresh start in Pittsburgh.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
