Justin Fields has made the most of his time as the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers with Russell Wilson hurt. He’s had flashes of brilliance during practices, but he’s still struggled with being consistent. In the team’s first preseason game of the year, his issues became more evident. He still has an opportunity to win the starting job, but insider Tom Pelissero of NFL Network believes Mike Tomlin will let Wilson be the starter until he absolutely can’t anymore.
Appearing on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Pelissero spoke about how patient Tomlin is with players and coaches.
“I know this with Mike Tomlin and his history,” Pelissero said. “Whether it’s with coaches, whether it’s with players, he’ll stick with his guys and give them every opportunity until he simply can’t give them another one. That, I think, applies to Russell Wilson. He’s said throughout the offseason that Russ is in pole position.”
That’s not an inaccurate observation from Pelissero. Tomlin has shown substantial patience in the past, although that could be said for the Steelers organization as a whole. He let Matt Canada stick around as offensive coordinator even though he constantly struggled. He’s started veterans like Mitch Trubisky and Dan Moore Jr. over younger players that have outshined them.
At this point, that’s just the way Tomlin operates. His main priority is winning football games, but he also tends to let players and coaches continue to hurt the team when they should be replaced. Patience isn’t a bad thing, but it can be if it isn’t checked. Starting a player just because they have more experience isn’t always the right call.
However, it can’t be said for certain yet that Tomlin is doing this with Wilson and Fields. Fields didn’t exactly set the world on fire against the Houston Texans. He wasn’t awful, but he didn’t prove he should be the starter. If Wilson plays well in one of the next preseason games, and Fields doesn’t perform amazingly, then the right answer may be to start Wilson.
Wilson hasn’t been a great player over the past few years, but he has the experience advantage over Fields. That matters more at quarterback than any other position. Wilson has been in the league for over 10 years, and he’s won a Super Bowl. He knows more about playing quarterback in the NFL than Fields. That may cause him to make fewer mistakes than Fields, and if there’s one thing Tomlin won’t tolerate, it’s turnovers.
Wilson just knows more about what he can and can’t do in the league. That might ultimately give him the edge over Fields. Getting time to sit and develop might be the best thing for Fields, too. Tomlin takes time to make changes during the season, but he’s also a good coach. If Wilson fails enough to warrant Fields taking his job, then Tomlin will make the move. It’s just about how good or bad Wilson looks on the field.
