Most of the talk surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason was their supposed quarterback battle between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Media attention only grew as Wilson suffered a calf injury, giving Fields most of the QB1 reps in training camp and with Fields enjoying an impressive and progressive spring.
Fields also looked better than Wilson last night, although it is hard to really put any blame on Wilson due to the poor pass protection. Despite that, it seems that Wilson is still in the driver’s seat to start this season. Given his resume, it’s hard to argue against it. In fact, former Steelers WR Plaxico Burress doesn’t even think there is a competition as Wilson gives the team the best chance to win.
“I really believe that there’s really not a competition because I don’t think that they really wanted Justin Fields to be the starter anyway,” said Burress in the Up On Game podcast before the Steelers took on the Bills last night. “I think Mike Tomlin brought him in to be an athlete, be a quarterback, put him in some different positions, use his strengths as an arm as a passer. Kind of keep the defense off balance.
“But when you start talking about throwing the football and pocket presence and being able to get it done, I think we all can agree that Russell Wilson is the better quarterback than Justin Fields and he will be the starter for this team. I just think Russell Wilson gives them the best chance to win.”
With the way Burress describes Fields, it almost sounds like a Kordell Stewart “Slash” role. Like Stewart was for his time, Fields is an elite athlete who is dynamic with the ball in his hands. However, Fields has not been consistent and his processing has been a struggle throughout his career. Wilson, on the other hand, is coming off a tough two year stint with the Denver Broncos, but is a veteran who knows the game and has had loads of success in his career.
Wilson also still has a lively arm and is accurate (not that Fields is does not have a lively are or is inaccurate). Wilson’s processing and veteran knowledge gives him an edge over the more athletic, yet less experienced Fields. Given the Steelers’ offense is so young, having the veteran quarterback who has been around the game for 12 seasons is a huge plus.
Given the Steelers traded for Fields after they signed Wilson in free agency, Burress is probably right that the intention was never for Fields to start. But, if Wilson gets hurt or simply just plays poorly, Fields is an excellent backup. Additionally, it keeps a healthy pressure on Wilson, especially knowing the lack of financial ties the Steelers have in him. A switch can easily be made.
It will be interesting to see if offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has any packages for Fields to be used. As Burress said, Fields is an incredible athlete and even if he is not starting, the Steelers should get him on the field. Pittsburgh will just have to walk the line of a quasi two-quarterback system and Fields’ play, good or bad, will be hyper-analyzed with a smaller sample size.
As long as the Steelers are winning games, fans are not going to care who the quarterback is, nor how the Steelers utilize Fields.
