Everyone has an opinion on who should be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly predicts it will be Russell Wilson and that he’ll get an extended run as QB1. While it’s hard to imagine that there is no way (outside of an injury) that Justin Fields can win the job this summer, it does seem like most people assume it will be Wilson.
James Palmer isn’t necessarily disagreeing with Kaboly when he predicts that Justin Fields will be starting at some point. In fact, he’s pretty sure that both quarterbacks will see the field this season. What he’s more interested in is finding out who offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants at quarterback.
“My bet would be that we see both quarterbacks play this year in Pittsburgh, I really do think we do,” Palmer said while appearing on Wednesday’s episode of Up & Adams. “I’m curious, because Arthur Smith, and what we’ve been told, has a larger voice in that building than previous offensive coordinators. Who does Arthur like more, and who does Arthur think gives his offense the best chance to succeed? How much does Mike Tomlin listen to that, and how much is Mike Tomlin in agreement with that that they make a change?”
What Palmer seems to be suggesting is that he thinks Smith prefers Justin Fields while Mike Tomlin wants Russell Wilson. It’s easy to understand Tomlin’s position. After all, he’s the one who said Wilson would have the “pole position” for the starting quarterback position. Wilson has Super Bowl-winning experience and has been an extremely productive player in the league. Tomlin’s going to respect that.
It’s entirely possible that Smith could feel the same way. However, when we start to look at what Smith does on offense, a different picture emerges.
One, we know that Smith loves to run the ball. Fields offers a dynamic component with his athletic ability. Wilson used to, but he’s going to be turning 36 during the 2024 season. He’s simply not the same athlete he used to be. Fields can still run the ball better than just about any quarterback in the league. That’s a big weapon and boost for him starting.
We also know that Wilson does have some deficiencies in terms of targeting the middle of the field. He also didn’t do a good job utilizing his tight ends last season while Fields was above average in that regard.
So there is some statistical evidence that Smith might prefer Fields to Wilson. The two burning questions are these: Does Smith prefer the whole package of Fields or Wilson, and does his voice have enough weight to sway Tomlin if they disagree? Palmer says that Smith has a larger voice than previous offensive coordinators, but is it large enough to persuade Tomlin if there’s a disagreement?
Palmer thinks we will see both Wilson and Fields starting games in 2024. The Steelers want to win playoff games this year, and Wilson has that experience. However, the team also needs to figure out if Fields can be its long-term solution at quarterback.
Trying to do both requires walking a very fine line. And a lot of that responsibility will fall on Arthur Smith’s shoulders. It will be very interesting finding out just exactly how he goes about accomplishing those tasks and how much voice he has in accomplishing them.
