If Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is indeed starting Russell Wilson over Justin Fields, he is not doing so without careful consideration for the locker room dynamics, former NFL veteran Chris Long said on the Rich Eisen Show yesterday. He knows the players will support the move before he does it—that they would support any move he makes.
“He’s a brilliant manager of his team”, Long said of Tomlin’s handling of the Steelers over the years. “The guy’s not a play caller; he’s a head coach. And these are the decisions he lives and dies with. I think he’s made enough of these to know how [starting Russell Wilson over Justin Fields is] gonna go over in the locker room. And I don’t think he would make the decision if the locker room was opposed to it”.
Tomlin named Russell Wilson QB1 back in August, but Justin Fields started the first six games due to injury. Wilson injured his calf to open training camp and then aggravated the injury leading up to the regular season. While the Steelers slow-walked his recovery, he practiced fully last week for the first time. Tomlin confirmed that Wilson will see first-team snaps this week and is a candidate to start.
The Steelers signed Russell Wilson as a free agent in March, and shortly thereafter traded for Justin Fields. They only pulled the trigger on the trade after dealing Kenny Pickett, who himself requested the trade.
While Tomlin paid lip service to a competition in training camp between Wilson and Fields, Wilson consistently held “pole position”. Fields saw plenty of opportunities to state his case, however, due to Wilson’s time lost due to injury. Nobody can say that the Steelers didn’t get enough of a look at him to make a fair evaluation.
But Fields has started six games and has the Steelers at 4-2. He has made plays, including with his legs, scoring five touchdowns. For all intents and purposes, his teammates have treated him as a starter, even with Russell Wilson there. Chris Long explained the locker room point of view in such a situation, from his perspective.
“As a position player, we’re in our own little silos, and ultimately, we want what’s best for the team”, he said of the Wilson and Fields dynamic in Pittsburgh. “We’re all gonna have varied opinions about what’s best for the team”.
He contrasted the Steelers’ current situation with what he went through with the Eagles in 2017, when Carson Wentz tore his ACL, and they had to turn to Nick Foles. Russell Wilson is now healthy, but Justin Fields has done enough to win.
“This is a more complicated situation where a guy’s gotten you off to a hot start, and as a result, maybe what you come away thinking is, ‘This is a decision that could affect our ceiling in a positive way’”, Long concluded. “And maybe raise the floor. And I think maybe by raising the floor you raise the ceiling for this team, the way they play”.
While Fields is by far the less experienced player, the reality is that the Steelers have seen far less of Wilson. Suddenly the borderline Hall of Famer is the unknown quantity they want to explore. It’s not often that you have that type of player sitting on the bench. And I’m sure the locker room is very aware of that (and, apparently, of a urine odor). Everybody will have their opinions about what the Steelers should do, even inside, but everybody also respects Tomlin—and Wilson.
