The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback competition has been one of the biggest drivers of the offseason news cycle. Perhaps only second to the Brandon Aiyuk saga. Will it be Russell Wilson or Justin Fields leading the Steelers onto the field in Week 1?
Depending on who you talk to, the argument can be made for both. Former NFL DL Gerald McCoy called Fields “the lesser of two evils” and said he would personally start him.
But has there ever really been a quarterback competition in Pittsburgh? Has it been Wilson’s job all along?
“I don’t think you really have to wait for any official proclamation,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac said on Thursday’s episode of the Dan Patrick Show. “Russell Wilson was brought in for a reason, and that was to be their starting quarterback. Justin Fields wouldn’t be here if Kenny Pickett didn’t have a hissy fit and they traded him… Justin Fields won 10 games in three years in Chicago, and aside from 12 practices at training camp and eight possessions in the preseason, I don’t think he’s done anything to change their mind. So there’s really no debate here unless Russell Wilson would get hurt.”
“I don’t think Justin Fields has done anything to change their mind. There’s really no debate here on who will start for them, unless Russell Wilson gets hurt.”
–@GerryDulac on who will be the #Steelers starting QB pic.twitter.com/PZKcMepCcR
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 22, 2024
Ironically, Wilson did get hurt at the very beginning of training camp when he strained his calf during a conditioning test. So Fields took all of the first-team offensive snaps through most of training camp. And by all accounts, Fields showed a lot of growth with that extended work.
But according to Dulac, none of that really mattered. From the moment the Steelers signed Wilson, he was the starting quarterback for 2024. Tomlin never came out and said that. He did say Wilson would have the “pole position” at the spot like in auto racing.
That translated to the preseason. Tomlin and the Steelers held Wilson out of the first preseason game because of the calf injury. But Wilson started the second preseason game when he was ready to play. And Tomlin confirmed Thursday that Wilson will be the starter for the third and final preseason game. He even said “nothing has changed” in relation to where Wilson and Fields are in the quarterback pecking order.
Now Dulac doesn’t say Fields won’t ever see the field. In fact, he says the Steelers should find a way to get him on the field.
“Do I think they might have some packages for Justin Fields, a play or two?” Dulac said. “I don’t know, but I tell you, they should based on his skill set.”
So perhaps the media and Steelers fans have had their eyes on the wrong things this summer. And to be fair, Tomlin and the Steelers never intended for training camp to look the way it did. Wilson was supposed to get the lion’s share of the first-team offensive snaps, not Fields.
Yet while there has been plenty of talk about who should be the starting quarterback, Dulac is certain that Tomlin has had one man in mind for the job the entire time. And that’s Russell Wilson.
