Even with the preseason in the rearview mirror, the Steelers’ quarterback situation remains at the forefront of every conversation. NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks and Brian Baldinger are the most recent analysts to weigh in on the topic following Saturday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
“This comes down to do you want a manager or a playmaker at quarterback,” Brooks said. “If it’s about limiting the mistakes then you go with Russell Wilson because Russell Wilson has played high-level football, won a bunch of games. He knows how to manage a game in a way to put the team in position to win in the fourth quarter.”
Baldinger, while not making a definitive pick for whom he expects to be the Steelers’ 2024 starter, believes that Wilson is the favorite for the role. While a calf injury limited Wilson in training camp, giving an opportunity to Fields, Baldinger is still of the belief that the Steelers want Wilson as their starter.
However, he is quick to note that the Steelers should take their time to make a decision. The “last thing” the Steelers want from this scenario, according to Baldinger, is to choose the wrong quarterback, leading to a quick switch.
“I think Mike is just trying to get it right,” Baldinger said when talking about Tomlin’s decision on the team’s starting quarterback. “What you don’t want to do is make an improper decision and all of a sudden have to make a quick pull or change early in the season.”
Talking to reporters yesterday, Tomlin said that the team intends on making a decision at quarterback next week.
“We have three days of Steelers vs. Steelers work and why not do it then?” Tomlin said via Steelers.com. “It kind of minimizes the Steelers vs. Steelers work when we start making decisions prior to the completion of that. We’ve got ample time to prepare for Atlanta and make any announcements regarding division of labor or pecking order or so forth, and so we’ll do it at the end of the work week.”
Saturday against the Lions produced strong showings for both Wilson and Fields. Wilson earned first reps with the team, easily driving the ball down the field for an opening touchdown. Fields was no slouch either, guiding the team to a touchdown of his own.
Each player had highlight throws to help state their case to be the starter, but if the quarterback order from the Lions game is any indication, expect Russell Wilson to get the nod.
