The Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin haven’t committed to either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson at quarterback for Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the New York Jets, but Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich said his team is prepared for either quarterback.
“I would say from the pass-game perspective, not much will change. Arthur Smith, his passing game is very conducive to an athletic quarterback, as we’ve seen over the years from [Ryan] Tannehill to all the guys that he’s had,” Ulbrich said during his Wednesday presser. “So from that standpoint, I don’t see a whole lot of change. Where you have to account for Justin Fields is the scrambling and the quarterback runs. ‘Cause he’ll have designed runs that aren’t necessarily Russell’s forte. So having an answer for the quarterback runs. We have answers either way.”
Even if Wilson does start, the Steelers can still utilize Fields, likely in the quarterback run game. Tomlin said a scenario where Pittsburgh uses both quarterbacks on Sunday is possible, and before the season when Wilson was originally named the starter, it was reported that the plan was for the Steelers to have a package for Fields. That certainly remains a possibility again for Sunday if Wilson does start.
It’s interesting that Ulbrich doesn’t think that Pittsburgh’s passing attack would change much. Schematically, a lot might be the same, but the Steelers would likely throw more with Wilson under center with less of the designed quarterback run game, and Wilson’s arm should be an upgrade over Fields. Given that Fields has regressed a little bit as a passer the last two weeks, it’s one of the reasons why the Steelers are likely considering turning to Wilson.
Basically, Pittsburgh would trade some of Fields’ mobility for some of Wilson’s arm talent and accuracy with the switch, so the passing attack might look a little bit different. Regardless, though, the biggest change if Wilson takes over will be less of the scrambling and designed runs, but Ulbrich believes his team is ready for it if they’re in the playbook or if they’re not and feels like they have the answers for either quarterback. We’ll find out on Sunday night if that ends up being the case.
