When the Pittsburgh Steelers entered this offseason, not many people expected them to land Russell Wilson as their next starting quarterback. Even after Wilson got released from the Denver Broncos, it seemed like a longshot to expect the Steelers to sign him. However, after reportedly crushing his meeting with the team, Wilson is in Pittsburgh now. It seems like he has the inside track on the starting quarterback job, but with Justin Fields right behind him, nothing is truly certain. One analyst believes that the Steelers have nothing to gain by starting Wilson, and that Fields should be their QB1.
Frank Schwab is an analyst for Yahoo! Sports, and on the latest episode of their podcast Zero Blitz, he discussed his thoughts on the Steelers’ quarterback battle.
“On one hand, I think about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ situation and there’s just no upside to starting Russell Wilson all season, unless you’re in a playoff race,” Schwab said. “He’s not your long-term answer. The almost worst thing that could happen is Russ has a pretty good season and then you’re like, ‘Well, what do we do? Do we pay this guy $40 million a year at 37-years old?’ It just doesn’t make any sense, whereas Justin Fields provides some hope for the future.”
Schwab’s point is a complicated one because it has several good points. It also misses the mark in some areas. He seems to think that Wilson having a good season would hurt the Steelers because then they’d be forced to pay him next year, but then what was the point of signing him in the first place? If Wilson is good enough to get them into the playoffs, and even win them a playoff game or two, then the Steelers would probably be ecstatic. This franchise is focused on winning, and it will worry about what to do with Wilson after the season ends.
Also, if Wilson plays well and starts for the entire season, then that gives Fields ample time to learn behind him. Wilson playing well gives Fields a perfect example of what it takes to play quarterback in the NFL at a high level. Fields was available for such little cost because he has flaws as a player. If the Steelers let him sit behind Wilson, it could set him up to be their quarterback of the future. It also sounds better than throwing him into the fire before he’s ready.
Schwab does make a good point about the limited upside to letting Wilson start for the entire season. If Wilson doesn’t provide the Steelers with a significant upgrade over what they’ve had at quarterback the last few years, then they should see what they have in Fields. The issue is that both quarterbacks are free agents after this year, so if the Steelers want to keep Fields, they’ll need to know what he can do during an actual game. Paying a player to be your starting signal caller after never seeing him during a real game doesn’t feel wise.
It seems Wilson and Fields are getting along well this offseason, so maybe the Steelers will get lucky and end up with the best-case scenario. Wilson could play well this season, rebuild his value, and get a big deal from someone else while Fields takes all that he’s learned and becomes the Steelers’ starter. Unfortunately, things probably won’t go that perfectly, and the Steelers will have to ask themselves the same hard questions Schwab is posing. Fans will just have to trust the organization to make the best possible decision.
