As the Pittsburgh Steelers wrap up mandatory minicamp on Thursday, attention turns to training camp starting in late July. At Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., almost all eyes will be on the quarterbacks. The prevailing thought is that Russell Wilson will have to spectacularly implode during camp and the preseason to give Justin Fields a shot at being the starting quarterback.
Now offensive coordinator Arthur Smith did say at minicamp that he expects the quarterback competition to “heat up” when the Steelers begin training camp. Whether that’s simply coach speak from Smith or a genuine word about there being an actual competition, we won’t know until camp actually begins.
There are plenty of people who think that it should be Fields, not Wilson, under center when the Steelers begin the 2024 NFL season, though.
“If it were me, I’m going Justin Fields and I’m not even blinking,” Former NFL coach Jay Gruden said on Thursday’s episode of Clean Pocket. “I don’t think they knew that the was going to be available, and they got him for a steal. Russell’s had his day in the sun. He’s been to a Super Bowl. His days are behind him. Now you add a guy that can throw as good or better than him and is a way better athlete that’s sitting right behind him and who’s, what, 25, 26 years old?”
A big crux of Gruden’s argument is based on the idea that Smith’s offense will be run-heavy and limited in the passing game. There’s definitely some evidence to that. The Atlanta Falcons under Smith only attempted 530 passes in 2023, the eighth-fewest in the league. It works out to roughly 31 passing attempts per game.
Gruden took some liberties when discussing just how few times the Steelers will throw the ball in 2024, but the underlying point remains. Fields offers more dynamism than Wilson at this point in their respective careers.
“If you’re just saying, ‘Hey, let’s just run the ball. Let’s just throw 14 times a game. Let him run the bootlegs. Let’s let him do the zone reads. Let’s let him do the quarterback designed runs.’ Are you kidding me? I don’t even think it’s close, personally,” Gruden said. “For them to win, if you’re asking the quarterback, ‘Hey, we’re going to hand the ball off, we’re going to throw 15 times a game,’ you want Justin.”
Smith wants to build his offense around the run game. That doesn’t mean the Steelers will run the ball 75 percent of the time, though. Heck, the Falcons attempted more passes in 2023 than the Steelers did. It just means that everything begins from the platform of a strong running game. Smith will utilize play-action at a rate not seen in Pittsburgh in a very long time. He’ll call for deep shots for when the defense is used to the run. He’ll even have quarterback run options.
Fields can do all of that, and he’s able to run the ball better than almost every quarterback in the league. He’s got 14 rushing touchdowns and has a robust 6.2 yards per carry in three NFL seasons. Wilson used to be dynamic with the ball in his hands, but he isn’t anymore. Wilson has 29 career rushing touchdowns and a career rushing average of 5.5, but he hasn’t eclipsed six yards per carry since 2020.
If the Steelers were trying to be a pass-first team, it would make sense to want a veteran quarterback like Wilson taking the reins. However, in an offense that is run-focused while trying to create as many explosive plays as possible in more limited opportunities, it makes a lot of sense to go with the option that brings more athleticism and dynamic ability to the table.
And right now, that’s Justin Fields, not Russell Wilson. Will that be how it plays out in Latrobe? I can’t wait to find out.
You can watch the entire Steelers-centric segment of Clean Pocket below:
