One of the biggest questions facing the Pittsburgh Steelers this spring and summer is who will be the outside wide receiver opposite George Pickens. Will they trade for a receiver, or will someone on the roster step up? However, the bigger question is who will be throwing them the ball. Will it be Russell Wilson or Justin Fields?
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal expects that it will be Fields. On Tuesday, he broke down his projected starters for the four teams of the AFC North, and he predicts that Fields will be the starter for most of the season if not right away.
“Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are such similar players, I expect the Steelers will go with the younger, more explosive version once they see them side by side,” Rosenthal wrote. “Even if Wilson wins the Week 1 job, Fields is my pick to play the most games.”
Justin Fields even said that as he got older, he began to model his game after Wilson. So, it’s no surprise that there are similarities between the two quarterbacks. There’s also no question that Fields is the superior athlete at this point in their respective careers, either. What Wilson does have over Fields is experience. That’s enough to tab him as the number one quarterback heading into workouts and training camp this summer.
Once they hit the field, that’s when Rosenthal expects Justin Fields to shine athletically. He certainly offers an explosive running ability that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith could conceivably harness. Whether that’s enough to overcome his shortcomings versus Wilson remains to be seen.
Rosenthal also has some other interesting projections. On the offensive side of the ball, he has Jaylen Warren as the starting running back.
“It was a surprise to see the Steelers pass on the fifth-year option for Najee Harris at the relatively low price of $6.8 million,” Rosenthal wrote. “That’s a sign Jaylen Warren could wind up with more snaps after a near-even split between the two players last season.”
The Steelers say they want to see how Harris fares under Smith but seem open to keeping him long-term. When comparing Harris to other running backs who did have their fifth-year option picked up, statistically he doesn’t measure up. What is certain is that Warren has been extremely productive in both the running and passing games. He offers good speed and runs extremely tough.
It’s also no surprise that Rosenthal has both C Zach Frazier and OT Troy Fautanu starting as rookies. He does list Fautanu at left tackle despite him practicing at right tackle in rookie minicamp. If Fautanu is able to work well at the position, that will allow the Steelers to move Broderick Jones back to his natural left tackle spot.
On the defensive side of the ball, Rosenthal does address rookie LB Payton Wilson’s addition, saying he “will have a chance to challenge veteran Elandon Roberts for linebacker snaps next to Patrick Queen.” Roberts was a quality addition ahead of the 2023 season and proved that he’s a capable starter in this league. I would expect that as long as everyone remains healthy, which was a major problem in 2023, all three linebackers will see good playing time in 2024.
