The Pittsburgh Steelers are considering turning to Russell Wilson at quarterback after starting the season 4-2 with Justin Fields under center, and it’s a decision that has Rich Eisen a little surprised. On The Rich Eisen Show, he discussed the potential move.
“When you’re watching the Steelers and you’re wondering how far this team can go, and you’re seeing how they are rallying around Justin Fields. It seems like it, you’re watching that game against the Raiders. I’m not seeing his lack of operating the offense that significantly,” he said. “It’s also six games in. You’re gonna start switching things up right now, making this switch under the auspices of ‘He’s the starter we always wanted. We planned on it. We told you the reason why he’s not the starter or we’re not even gonna consider him being the starter [because] he’s not available. He’s now shown himself to be physically available. We’ve seen enough out of him in that moment, to give him a looksie in practice and start thinking about starting him and switch it all up.’
“Even with the kid that’s started showing enough to say he’s worthy of continuing on with him. Didn’t see this plot twist coming.”
Wilson was the team’s starter heading into the season, but Fields has shown a lot with his mobility after being forced into action after Wilson aggravated his calf injury ahead of Week 1. The Steelers are also coming off a 32-point outing in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but Fields has taken a step back the last two weeks with his accuracy. With Wilson now fully healthy, the Steelers are looking to turn back to their original starter.
It’s not super surprising, honestly, that the Steelers are considering turning back to Wilson given that the original intention when they signed him was for him to start. But the timing does come as a little bit of a surprise just given that Fields has played well that and the Steelers could’ve ridden with him the rest of the way, or at least for a few more games. But the timing coincides with Wilson’s return to full practice last week and given that Fields hasn’t been his best the last two weeks, it’s not completely outlandish to want to see how Wilson can look operating the offense.
It’s also not even a sure thing that Wilson will start. Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he’s “in consideration” and didn’t officially name Wilson or Fields the starter. But Wilson is No. 1 on the depth chart, which he has been all season, and it seems as if things are trending toward him starting Sunday night against the visiting New York Jets.
It’s understandable that Eisen would be surprised, and I don’t think he’s alone in that regard. It’s certainly a risky decision to potentially disrupt the flow the Steelers had on offense by making a quarterback change now. But Wilson could elevate the offense with his arm talent, even while sacrificing the mobility that Fields provides. Whatever decision Tomlin ultimately makes is one that will have a major ripple effect on the rest of the season, and it’s important that he gets it right at the end of this week.
