Is Justin Fields making this into a quarterback competition with Russell Wilson for the Steelers?
The Steelers now have two preseason games in the books, and about that many points, from both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. On the whole, the offense hasn’t looked great—or even particularly good. Yet many of the unit’s biggest problems are quarterback-neutral concerns, including the offensive line.
Now, let’s not play dumb here, Justin Fields takes sacks as well as does Russell Wilson. The two of them are about the most-frequently-sacked quarterbacks in the league in recent years, and the current play of the offensive line isn’t pointing toward a significant change in that regard.
But we also saw, particularly last night but also last week, Justin Fields’ ability to create plays with his feet. Russell Wilson has mobility, but Fields is on another level. So far, we have only gotten a sample of the damage he can do, both by scrambling to extend a play and by actually taking off and picking up chunks of yardage.
To that point, Fields led the Steelers in rushing with 42 yards during the game, including one 20-yard scamper. While he took one sack—half as many as last week—he also extended plays with his legs. He had one key third-down conversion, for example, on a play that Wilson likely takes a sack on.
Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers keep calling this a quarterback competition despite few believing them. But now we have seen both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields on the field inside of a stadium. And there is a difference when you watch them play, admittedly good and bad.
On the whole, Justin Fields does command the offense pretty well, as he has for the past two weeks. Outside of the mishandling of the center exchanges, he is by and large doing the job he needs to do. One hopes that the Steelers can provide better offensive line play in the preseason finale. Perhaps then we can get a better assessment of where this quarterback thing stands, if it stands anywhere. Even Mike Tomlin describes his evaluation of Russell Wilson as incomplete because of the poor pass protection.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The Steelers are in training camp and the preseason and the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
