The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson because they felt he gave them their best chance to win. Never mind the fact that they already had a quarterback on the roster they had recently drafted in the first round. They weren’t as close to competing as they desire to be, and that is what brought us to here.
Wilson called Sunday his “first game” of the season, though it is technically his second since he was active last week as the backup. You know by that remark, though, that he meant he was starting without him explicitly saying it. And his goal is aligned with the Steelers’ goal.
“For me personally, I came here for one reason, [and] that was to win a Super Bowl”, Wilson said, via the Steelers’ website. “That was to go as far as we could and see where we could go with it. I think we have that opportunity, but we’ve got to do the work. There’s a lot more to go. There’s a lot more games, there’s a lot more tough challenges along the way”.
For Russell Wilson, the on-field challenges are just beginning. He has missed all this time, more or less, stemming from a calf injury he suffered at the start of training camp. Since then, he spent five weeks inactive, dressing at the Steelers’ emergency quarterback. He finally dressed as the backup last week in Las Vegas, but did not play.
This Sunday Night Football matchup against the New York Jets is the start of a new chapter for 2024. That is both for the Steelers and for Wilson, as they finally begin to see their plan in action. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, though, and they sat a 4-2 quarterback for this.
To that end, the Steelers deserve credit for handling Justin Fields with as much respect as possible under the circumstances. They are not technically benching him because Russell Wilson was always the nominal starter. But he knows he had a chance to steal the job, and many believe he did enough to do just that.
“Through those challenges, I think love’s going to bring it all together and just allow us to embrace one another”, Wilson said about the Steelers coming together, with Fields, “and just understand that the obstacles are going to be worth it, and we’re going to overcome them all, and we’re going to do it together”.
Every team has a ready point of unison, and that is the ultimate goal of winning. Everyone in the Steelers’ locker room wants to win, including Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Professionals and competitors all want to be out there contributing to that and making plays. But they all understand their part to play within the broader scheme of things.
Justin Fields only experienced 16 wins or so during his time in Chicago over three years, six from the bench. I’m sure he would appreciate the opportunity to experience a successful season under any circumstances, even while backing Russell Wilson. And we’re likely to see him on the field in some capacity anyway.
