When the Pittsburgh Steelers completely overhauled their quarterback room this offseason, shipping Kenny Pickett to the Eagles while acquiring Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, the general feeling for many is that the Steelers got two quarterbacks who were upgrades over what they had last year. Certainly Russell Wilson is an upgrade, even coming off some of the worst seasons of his career, but are the Steelers better off with Fields over Pickett had the latter remained in Pittsburgh as the backup? CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin listed the top-10 backup quarterback situations in the NFL this morning and had both Pickett and Fields near the top of the list, and he has Pickett ranked one spot ahead of Fields.
He wasn’t measuring the players in a vacuum but taking into account the supporting casts of each team. Here is what he wrote about Fields as the No. 4 backup situation.
“The rest of the NFL apparently agreed with the Chicago Bears that Fields warranted a minimal trade return, with Pittsburgh acquiring the former first-rounder for cheap despite his electric, if inconsistent, run in Windy City,” Benjamin wrote. “The Steelers also aren’t exactly loaded with offensive talent or philosophy to further his development. But in terms of sheer upside, you can’t do much better at the QB2 spot.”
Most of this evaluation would seem to come down to the lack of a true WR2. George Pickens is certainly good enough and the running back duo should be able to build off their second-half performance with an upgraded offensive line. But the new offensive system actually would seem to be complementary to Fields’ skill set. A run-first offense under OC Arthur Smith could find a whole new dimension with Fields under center with his athleticism and proven track record of running the ball. He has the second-most rushing yards in a single season of any quarterback ever with 1,143 in 2022.
Even if there are questions about his processing and overall passing skills, the Steelers should be able to make the offense work with Fields if needed. There are several analysts who believe that he will unseat Wilson at some point this season.
As for Pickett at No. 3, he gets the benefit of a supporting cast loaded with Pro Bowl talent.
“Pickett was more scrappy than reliable in two sluggish seasons with the Steelers, and it’s unclear if the 2022 first-round pick has the passing zip to ever command No. 1 duties again,” Benjamin wrote. “But his surroundings are exceedingly superior in Philadelphia, where he’ll enjoy Pro Bowlers at basically every supporting spot. He also shares one thing in common with starter Jalen Hurts: durability concerns notwithstanding, he’s shown a knack for gutsy throws in critical spots, making him a potential fan favorite in his home area.”
One of the few things that Pickett excelled at over his brief Steelers tenure was clutching out close games and providing just enough to get the job done in dramatic fashion. He has six fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives in his career, whereas Fields has just two and three, respectively, despite an extra season under his belt.
But the comparisons stop being favorable to Pickett there. Fields has had more touchdowns in each of the last two seasons than Pickett has in his entire career, though they both finished with the same adjusted net yards per passing attempt of 5.29 in 2023. Fields also brings the athleticism and running abilities to add an extra layer to the attack. Pickett has some athletic traits, but he hasn’t proven he can effectively put them to use at the NFL level.
Both players probably received an upgrade in their supporting casts with their new teams. I am not sure if I agree that Pickett is set up better for success, but perhaps we will find out this season with 2023 seeing many backup QBs get an opportunity to start.
