The start of training camp hasn’t exactly gone as planned for the Pittsburgh Steelers. As recently as last Wednesday before practices began, Mike Tomlin reiterated pole position for Russell Wilson in the quarterback competition. But he suffered a calf strain that held him completely out of the first three or four practices and has limited in the others. This has thrust Justin Fields into the spotlight as he works with the first-team offense.
The job is still Wilson’s for now, but each passing day that Fields looks good is one more opportunity for the Steelers’ decision makers to slowly re-evaluate the nature of the competition.
“What happens when you have the pole position and you suffer a calf strain early in camp and you give your competition some reps that enables Justin Fields to make a mark with the coaching staff,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter said on NFL Live earlier today. “I think Russell Wilson remains in pole position, but I also think that Justin Fields has opened some eyes and they see the type of offense they could have.
“We know how this staff has felt about Justin Fields in the past, and he has gotten better at practice every day as it’s been told to me.”
Out of all the scenarios, this is definitely the most interesting way this competition could have started. How many reps would Fields have gotten otherwise? If it was anything like the spring practices, probably not that many.
Rewind to minicamp when the coordinators spoke, and Arthur Smith said that the competition would “heat up” at training camp. Meanwhile, Tomlin expanded on the pole position comments in an interview with CBS Sports HQ after Tuesday’s practice.
“We got two really capable guys. Guys that are comfortable being the guy. We’re gonna create an environment where they get an opportunity to compete and show what they’re capable of,” Tomlin said before he reiterated pole position for Wilson. “Justin has really taken advantage of the opportunity for additional snaps because Russ been out some here the first week.”
The first handful of practices were up and down for Fields. He made some very impressive plays, but he also missed some of the routine plays. That has been the biggest knock on him as a starting quarterback. But since the pads came on, he has been showing improvement. The offense won the Seven Shots drill in back-to-back days against the defense and Fields has scored with his arm and legs. Tuesday in particular was probably Fields’ best practice of camp.
It has been noted many times throughout the offseason, but Fields is a decade younger and presents way more upside for the future than 35-year-old Wilson. The team also has next to nothing invested in either player as both of their contracts expire after the 2024 season. The Steelers have flexibility to approach this in any way they see fit.
So is Fields forcing the Steelers to reevaluate their approach? That might be a little strong at the moment, but there is no doubt that he is better off than he would have been otherwise. It will be very interesting to see how the Steelers rotate their top two QBs (if at all) once Wilson is back as a full participant at practice.
