After the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, head coach Mike Tomlin said at the NFL owners meetings in March that Wilson had “pole position” to start at quarterback. With training camp set to start tomorrow, that is still the case, Tomlin told reporters in a press conference Wednesday night.
“Nothing has changed,” Tomlin said about Wilson being in pole position via the team’s YouTube channel.
He said reps between Wilson and Fields in training camp will be allocated “very carefully.”
It’s not much of a surprise that Wilson remains in position to start. He’s a veteran player who has a Super Bowl win on his resume, and the Steelers acquired him before they traded for Fields. He’s the first guy the team targeted to lead its offense, and as of now, it looks as if he’ll be the guy to do it.
It’s tough to gauge too much from football in shorts with OTAs and minicamp, but it seemed as if Wilson outperformed Fields in that setting. Fields reportedly struggled with the speed of the game while Wilson was lauded for his accuracy by teammates and the media.
Pat Freiermuth in particular praised Wilson’s accuracy, calling it “pinpoint.”
“His arm’s awesome,” Freiermuth said in May. “Seeing his pinpoint accuracy. Expecting us to know where to be, and if we’re not there, he’s gonna tell us. That’s great having that accountability back there.”
Even though the national media has tried to tout Wilson vs. Fields as a quarterback competition, every indication is that it will be Wilson’s job come Week 1. Barring injury to Wilson, it doesn’t seem as if Fields has much of a chance to supplant the veteran, although that doesn’t mean he won’t see the field. The Steelers will reportedly have specialty packages for Fields, and his speed and athleticism at the quarterback position can provide a different dynamic and give the defense a different look.
We’ll see if the Steelers give a look into what those packages may be in training camp or the preseason, but when it comes to getting reps, Fields is going to be second in line to Wilson when the Steelers begin practices tomorrow. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Wilson will be Pittsburgh’s guy, and he more than likely will be the man under center for the Steelers-Falcons Week 1 matchup.
