Dating back to March when both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin made it pretty clear that Wilson had pole position for the starting quarterback job. He has used those same words to describe the competition several times since then. But he also said that Fields would be given an opportunity to compete when appropriate.
Fields also told the media early on, when asked about Wilson’s pole position, that he intended on competing. He didn’t come to Pittsburgh with the mindset of sitting on the bench all year.
One Steelers insider is going against the grain of some of the other local media a bit and believes Fields actually does have a chance (even if small) to supplant Wilson as the starter.
“I’m not completely convinced that the door is not open, at least a little bit cracked, for Fields,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko said Friday on 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show.
For most of the offseason, it has been the local media dismissing this as a competition while the national media pushes the possibility of Fields winning the competition. Even Batko’s Post-Gazette colleague, Gerry Dulac, said that “there’s really no debate” on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday.
The way things played out at training camp with Wilson’s calf injury and Fields getting two weeks of first-team reps, including the opening preseason game, has certainly fueled the competition talk. And Wilson’s preseason debut with the team did nothing to quiet such talk. He led five drives on offense and mustered zero points and just 34 net yards.
I don’t really blame Wilson for that performance given some of the pre-snap penalties and offensive line mishaps that led to three sacks, but I can understand why it has further fanned the flames of competition talk.
Wilson’s grade is incomplete from that game with a lack of opportunities to get in rhythm. Meanwhile, Fields only put up three points against backups on defense. He was also playing with backups on offense, but his talent should shine through in those situations, and it really didn’t. Fields made a couple nice plays, but also left a lot of opportunities for big passing plays on the field.
This final preseason game tomorrow in Detroit is the last opportunity for both quarterbacks to state their case. Wilson will start. Tomlin once again stated that nothing’s changed in the competition and their position on the depth chart.
If Wilson struggles again and Fields finally shows some of the stellar play that he put on display at training camp, then maybe the conversation could get interesting. For now, it still seems like Wilson will get the Week 1 start.
