The quarterback situation in Pittsburgh has been fascinating since the very end of the 2023 NFL season. Originally, the organization talked about bringing in competition for Kenny Pickett. When the Steelers brought in Russell Wilson, head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly told Pickett that Wilson would be taking the QB1 reps to start offseason practices due to his veteran status.
After Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Steelers traded for Justin Fields, reports were that Wilson would be QB1 and Fields was brought in as his backup. Tomlin addressed the quarterback situation ahead of the NFL owners meetings on Sunday, stating that Wilson has the “pole position” in the quarterback competition but Fields would be competing when appropriate.
That was music to a lot of people’s ears, including ESPN NFL reporter Jeff Darlington. When he joined Get Up on Tuesday’s episode, the entire crew talked about what the Steelers’ quarterback situation could look like both in training camp and as the 2024 season plays out.
“I was just glad to hear Mike Tomlin essentially say that there will be a competition,” Darlington said. “Because the Steelers were pretty adamant out of the gates that after they signed Justin Fields, Russell Wilson would be the starter. They definitely walked that back and made very clear this will be a competition in training camp. And to me, I think it will be a dead-even heat based on what I’m hearing about Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. By no means do I believe that this is truly decided.”
As noted above, it makes complete sense for Wilson to start training camp receiving QB1 reps. He’s won a Super Bowl as a starter, appeared in another, and has thrown 334 touchdown passes in 188 career games. He’s attained a level of success that few quarterbacks in Steelers history outside of Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger can aspire to.
However, Wilson is 35 years old and is not the same quarterback that he was during his prime in Seattle. That’s why Fields is such an intriguing option. As Bart Scott said earlier in Get Up, Fields is in a great position under Tomlin to potentially save his career.
While Fields doesn’t have a reputation even close to what Wilson does throwing the ball, he does possess incredible athleticism. Even Wilson in his prime when he could extend plays routinely and scramble couldn’t match what Fields has done with his legs. He led the league in 2022 with a 7.1 yards per carry average and scored eight rushing touchdowns.
Wilson represents the veteran and established quarterback on the downslope of his career. Fields represents untapped athletic potential. It’s understandable why fans and observers alike want to see an open competition.
The question is whether Fields will be ready to compete with Wilson in the eyes of the coaching staff at the onset of training camp. However, the expectation is that at some point between now and the end of the 2024 season, Fields will be genuinely challenging Wilson to be under center in Pittsburgh.
Considering what Steelers fans dealt with the last two seasons out of the quarterback position, that sentence is nothing but encouraging.
You can watch the entirety of Get Up’s discussion of the state of the quarterback position in Pittsburgh below:
