The first day of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers brought a slight surprise with it. All offseason, the major talking point around the Steelers has been who their starting quarterback will be once the season starts. It seems all but assured that the job belongs to Russell Wilson, but due to an injury, he did not practice on the first day of camp. Therefore, Justin Fields got to work with the starters, and in response, the conversation about who should be the starter has gotten even hotter. Former NFL running back and current analyst LeSean McCoy weighed in, saying that this latest development shouldn’t change anything.
McCoy was a running back in the NFL from 2009 to 2020, but now he works as an analyst for Fox. Appearing on the network’s show SPEAK, McCoy was asked if he thinks Fields should take the job from Wilson. McCoy’s response was a firm no.
“What we talking about here?” McCoy asked. “I like Russell Wilson to be the starter, and I like Justin Fields to be the backup, red-shirt and learn a little bit. I think they have different packages for him. I’ve seen enough of Justin Fields for three years in Chicago. I seen him lose a lot of games. I seen him have some good spurts, some good moments, and then the rest is just bad football. It’s nothing personal with him. It’s just, if you wanna win as a Steelers fan, the best bet is to keep Russell as your starting quarterback.”
McCoy doesn’t seem to be overreacting to the first day of training camp, which is good. Mike Tomlin has made it clear that Wilson is the team’s starter, and that won’t change anytime soon. True, Fields has more potential and there’s more excitement surrounding him, but those things don’t win football games. Tomlin’s only goal is to win games, and he’s going to put the Steelers in the best position to do that. If he feels like Wilson is the right man for that job, then he should be trusted.
However, that isn’t to say Wilson’s position should be secure for the entire season. If he struggles, then the Steelers should consider getting a look at Fields. Reports have stated that Wilson has acted the part so far, but he hasn’t been the same player during the past few years. If his decline continues this year, the Steelers might be better off with Fields.
There’s also an argument to be made that the Steelers should start Fields because they don’t currently have a quarterback for next year. Wilson and Fields will both be free agents after the 2024 season, and Wilson is significantly older than Fields. There’s not as much upside to keeping Wilson as there is to keeping Fields. However, that means the Steelers need to know what they have in both players. Getting an extended look at both might be the best outcome.
McCoy’s stance is inevitably going to be the one that prevails in Pittsburgh. Wilson is going to start if he’s healthy, and Fields will get a chance to sit and learn. That time to develop should only make Fields better too, so if the Steelers do want to start him at some point, he should be at his best. Success is tied to the quarterback, so it’s a position that Tomlin and company will surely monitor closely.
