When an entire position room gets completely overhauled in one offseason, it’s an interesting process for the coaches. When it’s the quarterback room, that process hits a completely different level. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is dealing with that right now. He has four quarterbacks, and Russell Wilson has been with the team the longest for only two months.
Tomlin is having to navigate uncertain waters with Wilson and Justin Fields. There’s some sort of a quarterback competition, but to what extent and when it’s actually occurring isn’t clear. Tomlin is still getting to know his quarterbacks, and he has finally seen them on the field for Tuesday’s first OTA.
“Those guys have been really good in terms of their participation and engagement,” Tomlin told reporters after Tuesday’s OTA per video from Steelers.com. “It’s been a fun process. It’s been a fun process to get to know them. And really, the way that you get to know someone professionally is to share experiences. And so the things that we’re doing out here are critical to the ‘get to know.'”
Both quarterbacks are in relatively uncharted waters regarding the rest of their careers. Wilson has been the unquestioned starter from the point he won the quarterback competition in Seattle as a rookie. The same goes for Fields after he was drafted by the Chicago Bears.
Wilson is in the “pole position,” getting starter reps to begin OTAs. However, Tomlin made it clear that when Fields is ready, he’ll be competing for the starting role. Neither quarterback is assured of anything in 2024. They also aren’t assured of their futures as neither are under contract beyond this season.
Tomlin sees the fact that both Wilson and Fields have been unquestioned starters in their careers as a positive, not a negative.
“They’re professionals,” Tomlin said. “So I’m excited about that, but I’m not surprised by it. There’s an expectation there. Both guys have been franchise guys, if you will. They’ve gotten out of their cars in the morning and worn the responsibility of being that guy for a franchise. So there’s residual benefit from that, and I’m excited about us receiving it.”
People like former NFL QB Tim Hasselbeck have questioned whether this type of quarterback room can coexist. We’ve all heard the cliche, “If you’ve got two quarterbacks, you have none.”
