For the first time all offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that the quarterback situation for the Black and Gold featuring veteran Russell Wilson and fourth-year QB Justin Fields is “very much a competition.”
That comes after Wilson has been dealing with a nagging calf injury that sidelined him early in camp and limited him upon his returns, leading to Fields getting a major opportunity with starter snaps and running with them.
To Fields’ credit, he’s had some good moments, opening some eyes and generating some buzz. But for the most part many believed that it wouldn’t be a competition as Wilson, who entered training camp in the pole position, wasn’t going to lose his grip on the job due to injury.
Tomlin’s comments changed that some, even if he said the depth chart was “real” with Wilson as QB1.
The door appears open for Fields to potentially win the job. At least, that’s what ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin believes.
“The door is open, it’s a competition. I also think that Tomlin could be talking to Russell Wilson as well,” Martin said Thursday morning on Get Up, according to video via ESPN. “Like, ‘Yes, you are the QB1. You do have pole position, but this is a competition. The door’s open for somebody to walk through here.’ So which one of them is gonna take the opportunity to make the team and the coaches forget that the other guy is there?
“And I think Justin, because we know the attributes that he has, yes, he is intriguing, but unless Justin Fields goes out there and protects the football, is able to show off his athleticism, throw the deep ball occasionally, but make plays, get them in the end zone…if he doesn’t do those things, Russell should clearly get the job. It’s on both of them now.”
Taking care of the football and doing the routine things routinely at the quarterback position are incredibly important. They are seemingly non-negotiable for Tomlin.
With Fields, that’s been an issue. He has 30 interceptions and 38 fumbles in his career and has struggled throughout his first three NFL seasons to do the routine things routinely. He has plenty of flash and splash, but it’s that struggle with consistency that has hindered him.
If he can find that in Pittsburgh and take better care of the football, it isn’t unthinkable that Tomlin could turn the job over to him. But again, that’s a big ask in just a few short months for Fields to go from a guy who was rather careless with the football to all of the sudden a protective guy who doesn’t make mistakes.
The door might be open verbally from Tomlin, but actions speak louder than words. The depth chart has Wilson at the top, and Tomlin isn’t concerned about the veteran not playing in the preseason, at least early on. That’s rather telling.
But there is undoubtedly an opportunity there for Fields. He has to seize upon it entirely. If he does, we could be talking a different story here in late August regarding the Steelers’ QB situation.
