Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields recently made it known that he doesn’t intend to just sit on the bench as a backup all season, but with Russell Wilson ahead of him at quarterback, it might be hard for Fields to get a crack.
On The Two Pros And A Cup Of Joe podcast, former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn thinks it’s going to be hard for Fields to get his shot. Quinn pointed out that Wilson has never thrown for less than 3,000 yards in a season, and that if he plays well to start the season, the Steelers won’t turn away from him.
“I just feel like initially, if Wilson goes in and they play and they win and he’s playing well, I don’t see how Justin Fields sees the field unless there’s a package for him to utilize his athleticism. But I don’t know, I have a hard time with Arthur Smith calling plays now, the personnel that they have, I gotta see it to believe it.”
The Steelers could have a package to utilize Fields’ athleticism, which is elite for the quarterback position, but it’s not something that I think anyone would categorize as likely. It might benefit the team if they can get creative in finding ways to use Fields in the offense, but if Wilson is the starter, it might be tough to take him off the field even for a play or two.
Obviously, if Wilson struggles the team can turn to Fields, as he has starting experience and leading a team isn’t anything new for him. But if Wilson struggles, chances are the Steelers struggle, and Fields might not be getting a chance in the best of situations in that case, either. LaVarr Arrington chimed in about that possibility, and that it might lead to Fields not getting a “fair opportunity.”
“We expected him to have to have some adjustments, but if he loses games while he’s trying to adapt and just to what the offense is going to look like, I don’t know if he gets a fair opportunity in the amount of time to actually find that rhythm or find that success. I think there’s going to be too much pressure put on the possibilities of what Justin Fields could be,” Arrington said.
The idea of what Fields could be if a team fully unlocks his potential and gets him more consistent as a passer while utilizing his athleticism and ability to run is tantalizing, but if he’s adjusting on the fly midseason to try and help the team climb out of a hole, he certainly could struggle. With him currently only having one year on his contract and the Steelers trying to evaluate Fields, if that is the case then he really might not get a fair shot to prove himself in Pittsburgh.
This is all hypothetical, but it’s interesting to ponder what the Steelers could look like. The best case scenario if Wilson wins the job is he plays well, and then the Steelers have no reason to have to turn to Fields. Obviously, that’s not the best case for Fields, but if the team is winning, then it’s hard to find a reason to make a change at quarterback. On the flip side, if they struggle and make a change, Fields might not be able to really settle in and take full advantage of his talents.
We still have plenty of time until training camp, but with OTA practices now fully underway, we have more of an idea of what the offense could look like and what the quarterback situation could potentially be.
