The Pittsburgh Steelers begin phase three of their OTAs next week, and that’s when the team can work on offense vs. defense drills, albeit without any live contact. Heading into OTAs, the Steelers have Russell Wilson as their presumed starting quarterback, but the presence of Justin Fields has led to questions about how the Steelers may view their quarterback room. Appearing on SportsCenter on ESPN this morning, NFL analyst Jeremy Fowler said it’s not a quarterback battle between Fields and Wilson, but the Steelers are going to give Fields a lot of reps on different units to get him throws.
“Pittsburgh Steelers, not really a quarterback battle because Russell Wilson has ‘pole position’ of the number one spot, according to head coach Mike Tomlin, going into OTAs. But Justin Fields, expect him to get a lot of reps. The Steelers, I’m told, love to get their backup quarterback reps, sometimes with the first team, second team, scout team. They’re gonna move Fields all over to get him a lot of throws early on,” Fowler said on SportsCenter.
Fields is an incredible athlete, but his inconsistencies in throwing the ball over the years are what led the Chicago Bears to move on from him this offseason. Pittsburgh could potentially view Fields as their quarterback of the future, so it makes sense that the team is going to want to see him work early and often and especially work on throwing to improve his mechanics and make him a more consistent quarterback. Even if the team plans on starting Wilson, which is very likely to happen as it stands now, giving Fields as much work as possible is only going to benefit the team in the short and long term.
But giving Fields more reps also gives him the chance to impress Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh’s coaches and front office, and it could leave the door open for him to start if Wilson struggles. It’s obviously never a bad thing to be allowed to get a lot of reps, and Fields could seize that opportunity and make himself a viable option to start.
I still think that Fields will be the team’s backup for the entirety of 2024, but giving him extra work not only makes him a better backup but also potentially prepares him to take over beyond 2024. Giving Fields extra reps, if that’s what happens, isn’t an indictment on Wilson either. Rather, the Steelers are looking to get as much as they can out of the 25-year-old Fields and see if he can be a real option to start in the future.
How the Steelers manage their quarterbacks will be one of the biggest storylines to watch this offseason, especially as we progress from OTAs into mandatory minicamp and training camp. But it sure sounds like Fields will be under center often, and I’m excited to see how that experiment plays out.
