Justin Fields isn’t supposed to be where he is right now. Russell Wilson was supposed to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback. Instead, Fields is gearing up to lead the Steelers’ offense for the third-straight game to open the 2024 NFL season.
While Fields has not blown anyone away, he’s played largely mistake-free football. And the Steelers are 2-0. So what happens when Wilson is fully healthy? Will he slot back in as the starting quarterback like he was supposed to be for Week 1? Or will Fields hold on to the spot?
“I can’t for the life of me understand under any circumstance, other than Justin really just bombs out, they lose a couple games, or whatever, I would never be able to really reconcile in my mind why [Mike Tomlin] would just put Russ back in there at this point,” ESPN’s Louis Riddick said on The Rich Eisen Show Thursday. “If Justin doesn’t do something that’s so egregious to make you want to take him out there, I don’t see that happening.”
Which of the 2-0 teams that has surprised out of the gate will stick around this season for the long haul?#NFL #Saints #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/TSdMyfSPzF
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) September 19, 2024
It’s hard to know exactly what head coach Mike Tomlin is thinking about the quarterback situation right now. He’s adamant about not reevaluating who the starter is until Wilson is fully healthy. So until that happens, Fields is unquestionably the starter.
What would make this situation so much easier is if Fields either blew everyone away with his passing prowess or fell flat on his face. Neither has happened. The fact that Fields hasn’t failed spectacularly is part of why the Steelers are 2-0. The fact that he hasn’t been lights-out and throwing touchdowns all over the place is why the door is still wide open for Wilson.
But Riddick doesn’t think that door is open at all. All he needs to see is Fields getting better each and every week while the Steelers continue to win football games. And he believes that will continue in Pittsburgh.
“I think it’s going to get better is primarily because the quarterback is gonna get more and more comfortable,” Riddick said. “As Justin continues to play faster, more decisive, throwing the football with better, better, and better accuracy…he’s always been able to throw the deep ball outside the numbers. As he’s able to attack all quadrants of the field, meaning I’m gonna exploit you between the numbers, too. Look out for this team.”
Fields showed plenty of growth over the summer. He took advantage of the increased training camp reps with Wilson sidelined by a calf injury. He improved his accuracy and decision-making, the two biggest areas of concern with his game. That hasn’t led to an outburst of scoring yet, but offensive coordinator Arthur Smith says it’s coming.
And if that outburst comes with Fields at the helm, Tomlin is going to have a very hard time sending him back to the bench. But as former NFL HC Jeff Saturday said earlier this week, it’s hard to tell what will happen because no one knows how Tomlin is evaluating the quarterback position.
Regardless, Fields is executing the game plan well and avoiding the big mistakes. He’s also delivered some big plays, even if penalties wiped out a couple of them.
