There’s no denying that the Pittsburgh Steelers of 2024 are certainly going to be different compared to 2023. With the new addition of quarterback Justin Fields, it’s become clear that Omar Khan’s work last offseason was no one-time affair. If the team isn’t good enough, moves will be made to improve positions that are lacking. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and there’s hope that either Fields or Russell Wilson will change that with improved quarterback play.
The standard of the organization is winning Super Bowls, but there are steps that need to be taken on that journey in order to achieve that goal. However, it seems that not everyone immediately believes that the trade for Fields drastically improves the team for next year. Former NFL scout John Middlekauff recently spoke about the acquisition of Fields on his podcast, and he doesn’t exactly offer a glowing endorsement.
“They’re basically taking a big swing here with the Russell Wilson and Justin Fields quarterback duo because, I would say, probably won’t work, but I completely understand why they did it, and I would have done it too if I were them,” Middlekauff said. “So, are they better? Because what they’ve been is like a nine, ten-ish win team. A team that’s immediately out in the playoffs. Not winning any playoff games. Haven’t won one since 2016.”
“I don’t view them as any different than they’ve been. They are now much more interesting,” Middlekauff said. “I’m much more inclined to watch them now that he’s playing, Russell or Justin Fields, than if Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph was playing, and their ceiling is definitely higher. But you could also say this could be a disaster.”
Considering how little the Steelers have given up to get both Fields and Wilson and how little commitment they have to both quarterbacks after this season, the outcome being a disaster would take quite a lot. However, Middlekauff’s point about the team not being immediate contenders is fair. Are their chances of winning a playoff game higher now than they were three months ago? The answer should be a resounding yes, but only because of what an actual disaster their quarterback room was last year.
Middlekauff’s statement that the duo of Steelers quarterbacks in Wilson and Fields won’t work is also irrelevant because of what low expectations the team has. Wilson is an aging veteran who has seen much better days in this league, and Fields’ young career has been surrounded by question marks. Neither man is being treated as the successor to Ben Roethlisberger, nor should they be. The worst-case scenario is that the quarterback room is as bad as it was last year, and in that case, the team will have to draft a new signal-caller next year.
Whatever the case may be, the team had to improve at the most important position, and no one can say they didn’t try. There was no wait-and-see approach that fans have seen in the past. An effort has been put in by the front office to make sure the offense functions as a better unit this upcoming year, and whether it works out or not, at least they tried their best and did everything they could. That may feel hollow now, but come the middle of the season, it could mean so much more.
