Despite leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 4-2record, it looks like Justin Fields is heading to the bench this week. Mike Tomlin hasn’t made an official announcement yet, but it seems like Russell Wilson is going to start this week. Fields hasn’t been bad, but it seems like the Steelers want to see what Wilson can give them. Fields seemed down on himself when talking about the situation, but Arthur Smith doesn’t want him to feel bad at all.
“If you make a change like that, I think you look at everything,” Smith said Thursday via the team’s transcripts. “You try to look at it from every vantage point, but that’s why you have to have conversations. No decision is ever easy.
“When you become callous or not, you should probably get out of this thing. I think [Fields’] confidence should be high. He’s 4-2. He’s been pretty productive. So, whatever Mike [Tomlin] tells us to do, I have it ready either way. That’s my job.”
It sounds like Smith isn’t clamoring for a change at quarterback. Fields wasn’t lighting the world on fire, but he wasn’t the offense’s biggest problem. He clearly hasn’t been perfect after getting traded to the Steelers, but it felt like he was improving every week. The biggest positive was that he only committed two turnovers. Fields was being smart and efficient with the football.
Wilson did win the initial quarterback battle, so maybe the Steelers saw something in him that instilled this confidence. It’s not like the Steelers are benching Fields for some nobody. Wilson isn’t the same franchise quarterback he used to be, but he looked serviceable last year. Whether he’s better than Fields remains to be seen.
It’s hard to definitively say which quarterback should start because Wilson has yet to play this season. Even after this week, unless Wilson looks absolutely dreadful, a bigger sample size will probably still be needed. The unfortunate part is that Fields really didn’t do anything to deserve to be benched. He operated the offense at a high level, even if he wasn’t always perfect.
Also, Fields’ mobility probably makes him a better fit for Smith’s offense. There’s a large emphasis on running the football, and Fields’ talents have helped give the Steelers a spark. There were a few games where he was their best runner. Wilson won’t be able to give the Steelers that element.
If Wilson does play poorly, hopefully what Fields showed makes the Steelers more confident in handing the reins back to him. Maybe Wilson will look great though. Tomlin has been around for awhile for a reason. If he feels like Wilson gives the Steelers their best chance to win, then maybe that’s the truth. However, that shouldn’t be an indictment of Fields’ abilities. Like Smith says, nothing he did should make him lose confidence.
