The last time we heard from former NFL quarterback David Carr, he praised Russell Wilson landing in Pittsburgh. But that was before the team acquired Justin Fields. Now that both men are on the same team, Carr thinks the outcome will be easy for the team to decide. Though the Steelers are framing Wilson as the frontrunner to start, Carr strongly believes Fields will open up as the team’s Week One starter.
“Justin Fields is going to be the starter Week One,” Carr said Tuesday on NFL Total Access. “I personally believe that. This offense is not something that takes a ton of experience for the quarterback position to run. It’s a nuanced offense, but it’s more RPO-based. It’s more quarterback is going to run the ball. He’s gonna be a threat. Arthur Smith’s a smart guy. He understands 11 on 11. Around the league, when the quarterback runs the ball, there’s an advantage there for the offense. Just look at Lamar Jackson.”
According to Pro Football Reference, the Falcons ranked seventh in RPO play calls last season. They ran 112 of them compared to the Steelers’ 66, while the Chicago Bears ran 83. In 2022, Atlanta was second in the league with 161. Though that doesn’t always allow the quarterback to run the ball, it will hopefully get the ball out of Fields’ hands quicker and reduce the number of hits and sacks he absorbs. Last year, no one held onto the ball longer than Fields and his 3.03 average second snap-to-throw time.
Smith’s worked with mobile quarterbacks before, utilizing Marcus Mariota in 2022 with the Falcons. He had a career-year rushing with nearly 500 yards across 13 games. Fields is younger and far more dynamic.
Mike Tomlin’s left open the possibility for Fields to win the job, framing Wilson’s spot as being in “pole position” as opposed to the team’s unquestioned starter. In a recent interview for Sirius, Tomlin acknowledged Fields will be given the opportunity to compete, though he didn’t detail when or how.
While Fields figures to make splash plays against second-stringers in camp, it may take a lot to wrestle away the job from Wilson. Pittsburgh seems content with Fields taking some time to watch and learn behind Wilson, and Wilson isn’t coming off a terrible season in Denver, throwing 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions with excellent red zone production. Fields offers an interesting dimension in the running game but Carr’s commentary seems hyper-focused on that instead of the fundamentals of playing quarterback, an area Fields must improve. There’s a reason why the league wasn’t interested in him as a starter, forcing the Bears to settle.
Carr’s confidence is likely too strong here, though the summer will determine how the team’s initial depth chart will play out.
