Without question, the most consequential storyline through the first couple weeks of training camp has been the nature of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback competition. Russell Wilson was forced to sit out and slowly ramp up his participation over the course of the first 10 practices, and Justin Fields took full advantage. Wilson was given pole position by Mike Tomlin back when he signed with the team, and again the day before training camp began. So is it an actual competition?
“Very much is a competition,” Tomlin said during his press conference ahead of the Steelers’ first preseason game on Wednesday in a video on the team’s YouTube page. “What happens in-stadium is weighted heavier than what happens in a practice setting because it’s more game-like.”
With the preseason beginning on Friday against the Houston Texans, the performances of Wilson and Fields will be the largest data point to date on determining how the rest of the competition plays out. Fortunately for the Steelers, this is the Texans’ second preseason game, and they plan on playing their starters for some series at the beginning of the game.
As for who currently has the edge in the QB competition, Tomlin let the first depth chart do the talking. Despite Wilson only having one full practice so far, he was listed as the starting quarterback ahead of Fields.
“You guys saw the depth chart that I released yesterday. That is real,” Tomlin said.
So the pecking order, for now, hasn’t changed. But Fields’ performance over the first 10 days of training camp practice will likely afford him more opportunities with the first-team offense in preseason games than he would’ve received otherwise.
Despite the depth chart, Fields will receive the first reps of the preseason game on Friday.
“I’m probably going to give that quote unquote first unit, and [Fields] included in that, a couple series,” Tomlin said.
It makes sense for Fields to start in the preseason game because of the amount of practice time he has received so far. Wilson is just ramping up into full participation, and Fields has that continuity with the starting offense built up over the last two weeks of practice.
Tomlin was asked if these preseason games are an audition for Justin Fields to push for the starting job, even if it is just a couple series per game.
“I think everything is an audition,” Tomlin said. “Everything that we do is an audition, not only for him, but for others.”
It probably helps that Fields had one of his best practices at Friday Night Lights last week. Of the practices, that one is the most intense and the highest energy. It is more game-like, as Tomlin says, than some of the other practices. Fields led the offense to a landslide victory over the defense in Seven Shots during that session.
Many assumed that this quarterback battle would not be a true competition because of how the Steelers have handled similar situations in the past at the position. Wilson’s pole position may not have changed yet, but this is the first time that it feels like it might be a true competition for the Steelers’ starting quarterback job.
