The biggest question facing the Pittsburgh Steelers this spring and summer is which quarterback will start Week 1 under center. Will it be the veteran with Super Bowl-winning experience Russell Wilson? Or will it be the young, elite athlete Justin Fields?
The Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin made it clear that Wilson will be starting the spring and summer in the “pole position.” He’ll get the starter reps at the beginning, and when the Steelers feel Fields is ready, he’ll compete. Now Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t think there will be a genuine quarterback competition this summer. That could hurt the Steelers’ offense, though.
“Arthur Smith, what has he [done] in his career? Run game, quarterback been a factor in the run game,” Greg Cosell said on Thursday’s episode of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast. “Let’s play physically… It seems to me that Justin Fields fits better in the context of how they want to play on offense than Russell Wilson does. Because Fields gives you that run game element from the quarterback position that has always been an Arthur Smith kind of staple.”
When Fields took to the field to run his 40-yard dash in 2021 at his Pro Day, he ran the fourth-fastest time for a quarterback ever recorded at 4.44 seconds. That was 0.11 seconds slower than former NFL QB Michael Vick who holds the record.
Now straight-line speed does not always equal rushing production, but for Fields, it certainly helps. he’s carried the ball 356 times in his three seasons for 2,220 yards and 14 touchdowns. That’s an average of 6.2 yards per carry. If Smith wants to lean into giving defenses as many different running looks as possible, Fields can be a dynamic weapon when working with running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
However, there are nuances to what Smith wants to do on offense. He also likes to pair his running game with a deep play-action attack and uses his tight ends quite frequently (and aggressively). So while the run game is incredibly important, there are other areas that Smith’s quarterback needs to excel at.
In 2023, Justin Fields had the seventh-highest passer rating when targeting tight ends in the league. He also ranked 12th in the league in average net yards per attempt when targeting tight ends. He was one of the better quarterbacks targeting tight ends while Wilson was one of the worst. If Smith wants to use Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and the rest of the tight end room like he did in Atlanta, Justin Fields also fits the bill.
