With literal minimum investment tied up in Russell Wilson, one former NFL scout thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers — and their fans — should quickly pivot to Justin Fields if Wilson struggles out of the gate. Discussing the Steelers’ quarterback situation Sunday evening, ex-NFL scout John Middlekauff (a fan favorite on this site, I know) doesn’t believe Wilson should get ample opportunity to prove himself.
“If I’m a fan and we’re 0-2, I’m not watching Russell Wilson,” Middlekauff told Colin Cowherd on Cowherd’s podcast. “I’ve seen this from afar. Put in the young kid and let’s just see if we could figure something out with this guy that has a lot of physical tools.”
Wilson is almost certainly going to begin the season as the Steelers’ starting quarterback. Mike Tomlin has only said Wilson is in “pole position” as the team’s current leader. But it would take a summer catastrophe for a healthy Wilson not to take the first snap against the Atlanta Falcons. Where things go from there is an open question.
In 2022, the Steelers had a similar situation. Nearly a brand new quarterback room with only Mason Rudolph returning, the team signing veteran Mitch Trubisky and drafting Kenny Pickett. Trubisky was the starter throughout the spring but Pittsburgh still framed things as a battle. Still, Trubisky was functionally unchallenged and he cruised to win the job. It didn’t last long. The Steelers benched him at halftime of the team’s Week 4 game against the New York Jets, Pickett sneaking for a pair of touchdowns in a loss as Zach Wilson rallied the Jets to late victory.
Could the same happen this year? Potentially. There’s pressure on Pittsburgh to win now, and a slow start in a highly competitive AFC North would be a difficult hole to climb out of. Wilson signed a one-year deal for league minimum, making him easy for the Steelers to bench from a financial and investment standpoint. And there will certainly be calls for Fields to play and start the moment Wilson shows weakness, meshing well with Arthur Smith’s run-heavy system.
Middlekauff went as far to say that Fields should probably just start the season.
“If their defense is good, honestly if I was a Steeler fan, I just wanna see Justin Fields right off. I wouldn’t even wanna see Russell Wilson. Can we resurrect this guy?”
Though the likely backup to begin the season, Fields should have a designed package of plays. Opposing teams expect him to be used in short-yardage and goal line situations where his strengths as a dynamic runner can be utilized. The question becomes what kind of role, if any, Fields has from there. Much of that is dependent on Wilson’s play.
