Russell Wilson dressed as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ emergency third quarterback behind Justin Fields in his Black-and-Gold debut. The team presented his starting status as a game-time decision though many question that. Head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t help dispel that notion by downplaying his availability potential for this week.
That’s all to the good, Mike Florio believes, for the Steelers and for their long-term future. While they signed Russell Wilson as a starter, they also traded for Justin Fields through potential starter eyes. The way injuries are dictating the season provides them with an interesting view they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“I think this is a perfect opportunity for the Steelers to let Fields try it out”, Florio said on 93.7 The Fan yesterday. “If it works, you just keep going. If it doesn’t, it’s not like you benched Fields: Russell Wilson’s healthy”.
Fields started the season opener for the Steelers, producing meager statistics but a winning performance. He went 17-of-23 passing for 156 yards with no touchdowns and no interception, rushing for 57 yards on 14 attempts. To the best of my knowledge, that is the most rushing attempts by a Steelers starting quarterback in modern history. And that presents a very different dynamic from Russell Wilson.
“This is an opportunity for the Steelers to have it both ways”, Florio said of Wilson’s injury. “I think they do believe Fields is the better option long-term. He’s more than a decade younger. He fits what they’re trying to do offensively better. They just need to work on some stuff, like, you know, throwing the ball accurately on a consistent basis”.
“I think it’s worked out perfectly for the Steelers to ride Justin Fields as long as they can, [and] flip back to Russell Wilson if it’s not working”.
Florio is right in one very obvious sense, in that Wilson’s injury gives the Steelers ample opportunity to evaluate Fields. But the Steelers weren’t planning on evaluating Fields in-season, even if they won’t object much to doing so during wins.
As long as they keep winning, whether with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, I’m not sure it matters right now. Obviously, Fields has a much longer shelf life than Wilson because he’s younger, but is he better now?
While the Steelers have to look to the future, they also have to consider their needs for the 2024 season. Justin Fields helped them win the opener, but the Atlanta Falcons will be one of their easier opponents. Russell Wilson will certainly bring things to the table that Fields can’t do or can’t do consistently.
But if the Steelers find that they can win with Fields, that changes the landscape entirely. Let’s say Wilson’s calf injury lingers for five more weeks. The Steelers are 5-1 by that point and Fields is playing well, making his throws and running all over people. At that point, why would you make a change?
Of course, that scenario rests upon a lot of “ifs”, and probably unlikely ones. The Steelers are probably not starting 5-1, and Fields probably isn’t going to turn into a consistent passer. But how would Wilson look coming from six weeks on the bench?
