It’s not very often that you’ll see an NFL quarterback in limbo when he is 4-2 to start the season. But that’s exactly where Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields finds himself. Even though he’s been the starter for all six games to start the 2024 NFL season, there are plenty of people calling for QB Russell Wilson to start. Even Steeler Depot’s Ross McCorkle is making that case.
It’s a complicated situation for sure. The Steelers defeated the Raiders in Las Vegas, 32-13, and Justin Fields ran for two touchdowns. But the passing offense continues to struggle as Fields only threw for 145 yards.
“I don’t think it gives you the ‘Oh, you’re the starter for the rest of the season,'” Chris Simms said on Monday’s episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned when discussing Fields’ performance against the Raiders. “I think it does go ‘We’ll give you the starter for next week. Week 7, you can start for sure…’ I think until he starts to put games where, kind of what you’re saying, he’s impressive, he’s dicing people up week after week, this is going to be an ongoing conversation. They certainly didn’t win this game because of Justin Fields. They won this game because of their defense and their special teams.”
The reality for Justin Fields is this: He has not been a bad quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. He’s completed 66.3 percent of his passes in six games. If that holds steady throughout the rest of the season, it’s going to be his career-high by almost five full percentage points. And his five rushing touchdowns are already the second-best number in his career.
But Fields hasn’t been good enough to keep people from thinking about Wilson. Every incomplete pass and every turnover-worthy play is a reminder to fans that a Super Bowl-winning quarterback is on this team’s roster. The fact that he is averaging less than one passing touchdown and throwing for 184.3 passing yards per game weighs on people’s minds.
The fact that the Steelers have won four games with Justin Fields starting makes it hard to put him on the bench. But as Simms said, this conversation isn’t going anywhere until Fields strings together some impressive passing performances.
On the flip side, it isn’t like Fields is the sole problem on offense. The offensive line is struggling this season, partially due to injuries. Former NFL G Damien Woody thinks it would be disastrous to insert Wilson into the starting lineup behind this line. And the Steelers know there are issues at wide receiver dating back to this offseason. That’s why they pursued San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk all offseason.
And that’s why they’ve been checking in on the trade discussions surrounding Raiders WR Davante Adams. Playing Russell Wilson doesn’t magically fix all those issues. But until Fields is lighting things up, people will wonder if Wilson can’t at least generate more passing potency.
