Let's ride? Broncos proven right to force Russell Wilson out of Denver at absurd cost

It was only a preseason game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was not a good showing for veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. After having a down last few years split between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, it was merely more of the same for Mr. Unlimited. It was the so-called dress rehearsal for both teams, but it was not Wilson's day in the sun.

While he did complete 8-of-10 passes, they were for 47 yards. Not only did he only average 4.7 yards per passing attempt, but he was sacked three times in the first quarter, losing 21 yards on those plays. The Bills won the preseason game 9-3, but that is not the biggest part of the story. It may be a new team and a new offense for Wilson, but he is no longer playing the player he used to be before.

In a way, it kind of justifies, or at least briefly does, the Broncos' decision to cut ties with him after only two years for an absurd amount of money. Wilson is making slightly over $1 million to play for the Steelers this season, while the Broncos are on the books for around $30 million in dead money. Having four head coaches in four years is less than ideal, but Wilson is supposed to be a hall of famer.

Denver is still trying to figure out if and when Bo Nix will beat out Jarrett Stidham for their starting job.

Wilson may be losing ground in his race to keep his backup Justin Fields at bay for the Steelers now.

Denver Broncos look to be right in moving on from Russell Wilson already

What I think could get lost in the shuffle a bit here is that besides this being a preseason game, Pittsburgh is trying to learn a new offense ahead of this year. Arthur Smith is coming over from the Atlanta Falcons to replace an ineffective Matt Canada. While Smith failed as a head coach recently, he was a tremendous offensive coordinator on Mike Vrabel's Tennessee Titans staff prior to that gig.

Regardless, Wilson has been a star in the NFL for well over a decade now. While his game has regressed considerably in his mid-30s, this was a guy that was a lock to make it into Canton. Outside of Antonio Brown completely destroying his hall-of-fame candidacy by his off-field antics, I cannot say I have ever seen a player do more irreparable damage to their once impenetrable football brand.

For now, the Steelers need to be asking themselves if they made the right series of decisions over the course of the offseason. I know they invested heavily in bolstering the offensive line, but it looked like a wet paper bag vs. Buffalo at times on Saturday. Again, this was only a preseason game, but you have to wonder if they have cost themselves their chance at sustaining their winning season streak.

All I know is Wilson must be on a short leash after how he looked in the Steelers' preseason game.