Imagine changing your stance on a player when your team trades them in. Aren’t we all like this? Tone Digs of the ‘Pat McAfee Show‘ is no different! A die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, he is finding ways to welcome his team’s new QB, Russell Wilson. Nothing wrong with that. But he knows what is wrong with the Steelers right now, and it’s not Wilson!

Appearing on the GM Shuffle Podcast on June 1st, Digs admitted that the offense is not where the problem lies. It is the wide receiver position that needs work. “I am super worried about the wide receiver position,” he said. His concern stems from a shortage of star players in that position. He believes its just a one-man show at the moment. “It’s just George Pickens right now and a lot of the other guys who have been fours for their whole career,” he stated.

One decision taken by the franchise in March backs Digs’ claims. Trading the incredibly talented receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers meant the Steelers let go of a WR who accounted for 717 yards and 5 TDs in the 2023 season. Good for 31% of receiving yards among wide receivers and second most to Pickens. This leaves them heavily relying on the inexperience of the 23-year-old WR, as noted by Digs.

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The up-and-coming Pickens is the clear No. 1 receiver for the new QB, Wilson. He led the team with 1,140 receiving yards a year ago. But beyond him, in the receivers group, no one can take the mantle of no 2 receiver when compared to the NFL standards. Besides this, the Steelers released Allen Robinson II, who had 280 yards and no touchdowns last season, making Calvin Austin III the only receiver who recorded any yards in 2023.

The clock is ticking for General Manager Omar Khan and the Steelers. The longer they wait, the fewer options they’ll have for adding a seasoned receiver to their ranks.

Tone Digs believes in Russell Wilson

On a positive note, however, Digs did not seem that unsure about his team’s offense going into the season accrediting much of it to Russell Wilson. But it wasn’t always this straightforward.

On the podcast, he admitted that while he ’embraces’ Wilson as the projected QB1 of the Steelers, he was on the opposite end of the bandwagon when the player was at the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos. Can we blame him, though? The Broncos released Wilson on March 4th, 2024, leaving them with a dead cap hit of $85 million. The largest in NFL history. However, they have preferred this outcome over sticking with the star QB.

But this rather unpleasant outcome has not dampened Tone Digs’ spirits, as he said, “I am going to believe in Russ, until otherwise.” Well, the stats also suggest that the 35-year-old QB does bring an edge over Kenny Pickett.

Wilson threw a solid 26 TDs, ninth-most in the NFL, and 8 INTs in 2023, compared to Steelers’ Pickett, who threw 6 TDs and 4 INTs in 12 games. It’s clear why Digs backs the new QB. “If the Steelers had 26 and 8 in any of the last two years, we would have been throwing a parade for Kenny Pickett. I promise you,” he said.

Now, only time will tell if this is just an emotional talk or conviction. But Digs sure has hit the nail on the head by highlighting the Steelers WR problem.