With Russell Wilson unfortunately dealing with a calf injury, Justin Fields has been the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback throughout training camp. Although it would be nice to have Wilson get acclimated to his new team, having Fields take these reps could actually benefit the Steelers more in the long run. However, it does pose the question of if this injury will change the Steelers’ plans for Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons? Jessie Bates III, their superstar safety, seems to believe the Falcons will get a healthy dose of both quarterbacks no matter what.
Bates has been in the league since 2018, previously spending time with the Cincinnati Bengals before joining the Falcons last year. He’s also one of the best safeties in the league, making the Pro Bowl last year, as well as being named second-team All-Pro after a stellar performance that included six interceptions. Appearing recently on the Rich Eisen Show, Bates was asked which quarterback he thinks will start for the Steelers against the Falcons.
“Knowing Arthur [Smith], who had a big part of bringing me here, and understanding what his offense was this past year, I can see a mixture of both of them,” Bates said. “You have Russ [Wilson], who is another guy who’s seen it all, hasn’t had the best couple last years, but still is super capable of reading the defense and knowing exactly what guys are in. Then you got Justin Fields, who is more of a dual type of quarterback.”
Smith, now the offensive coordinator for the Steelers, was the head coach of the Falcons last year, so he and Bates are very familiar with one another. Bates might know Smith’s offense better than most players in the league, so he might create some problems for the Steelers in Week 1. It sounds like he doesn’t plan on falling for any tricks Smith might have up his sleeve either.
He’s also correct that Wilson’s athleticism has dropped off over the past few years, but his mind is still as sharp as ever. Now, he’ll be in an offense that doesn’t depend on him to be its engine. Smith should take some of the weight off the quarterback’s shoulders by installing an effective run game. However, Bates may also have that well-scouted.
In that same interview, Bates also spoke about what he expects out of Smith’s offense and how he is also familiar with Mike Tomlin.
“Art loves a little bit of the zone-read stuff. I’m sure you’ve seen it all on Twitter throughout training camp. I think we’ll see a little bit of both of them. They’re both capable of being starting quarterbacks in this league. And I know Mike Tomlin, I got a lot of respect for those guys over there. I was part of the AFC North for five years, so I know Mike will have those guys ready to play.”
Bates is exactly right that the zone-read has been a common play so far in Steelers training camp. While Fields has been up-and-down throwing the ball, his legs have been as advertised. Although training camp isn’t the best place to test a mobile quarterback because the quarterback can’t get hit, the intent by Smith is still obvious.
Bates was 4-6 with the Bengals when he played against the Steelers, and even though he’s known as a ball-hawk, he’s never had an interception against Pittsburgh. Fingers crossed that continues this year, but it does speak to how well Bates knows the Steelers. He did have an interception against Smith’s Tennessee Titans in 2020, so he’s proven he can play well against that system before.
This just throws another interesting factor into that Week 1 game against the Falcons. Smith will be playing against his former team, Bates will get to battle the Steelers again, and head coach Raheem Morris will get to compete with his old friend Tomlin. It may be a much tougher game than at first anticipated.
With a tough schedule the latter half of the year, stating the season with a win is important. Whether it’s Wilson or Fields, the Steelers need to start the season with a win in Atlanta.
