Just a week before the Steelers kicked off their 2024 season, Justin Fields found himself thrust into the starting quarterback role. The starter, Russell Wilson, aggravated a calf injury, and as a result, Fields got a chance to play. He’s been able to use this period as an audition and has done a solid job. Fields is playing well through six games, and he’s got the Steelers in a tie for first place in the AFC North with a 4-2 record.
However, Fields does have his limitations as well. There are still moments where the offense sputters, and with Wilson now healthy, Fields’ starting job is called into question. Both have logged first-team reps this week, with Wilson getting them on Wednesday. With both Fields and Wilson healthy, there’s plenty of debate regarding the two quarterbacks and which one gives the Steelers the best chance to win going forward.
ESPN’s Andrew Hawkins believes Wilson is the better option for Pittsburgh at the moment. One reason for that is he thinks Fields relies on his legs too often, as Hawkins described on NFL Live on Wednesday.
“What you get from him [Fields] is mobility,” Hawkins said. “Russell Wilson won’t have that. The problem is, he’s using that mobility as a crutch, as opposed to waiting for the opportunity to present itself.”
The ‘opportunity’ Hawkins is referring to is the idea of Justin Fields waiting for his receivers to get open. Essentially, Hawkins is arguing that when the first option isn’t there for Fields, he’d rather run out of the pocket than wait for the play to develop further.
This argument has merit, but it has some drawbacks. Hawkins isn’t wrong to claim that the offense could be better and that Fields specifically could do more than he has. Fields has moments in which he misses open receivers and throws on relatively routine plays.
However, it’s important to note that the Steelers offensive line is still dealing with injuries. Every week, there seems to be a new injury in the unit. As a result, Fields has had to rely on his legs. Could he stand to stay in the pocket longer and make the extra read or two? Of course. However, there have been instances in which he hasn’t really had a different option than to scramble.
That said, Hawkins’ criticism of Justin Fields isn’t new. Fields struggled with the same thing during his time with the Chicago Bears, so Hawkins does make a decent point. However, whether Fields is truly using them as a crutch is more up for debate.
