Player: QB Justin Fields
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: With Russell Wilson now in the starting lineup and coming off a strong debut, Justin Fields looks likely to spend the rest of the season mostly on the bench. The Steelers even turned down the opportunity to employ Fields in a sub-package against the New York Jets to utilize his athleticism. Whether they will moving forward is unknown, but it seems clear now he never had a hold on the starting job.
Mike Tomlin received widespread criticism for starting Russell Wilson on Sunday, but most sang a different tune on Monday. Many people felt Justin Fields did enough to justify remaining in the starting lineup. But with one game, Wilson showed what the Steelers envisioned their offense could be when they signed him.
The Steelers very carefully danced around the question of starting positions during Wilson’s calf injury. Tomlin never once called Justin Fields their starter, only saying he would start X game. Repeatedly, he deferred any broad questions of starting until they had an even health playing field.
Overall, most agree that Fields exceeded expectations, but perhaps primarily because people had low expectations. He went 10-28 as a starter with the Chicago Bears, so 4-2 seemed magical in comparison.
But then Russell Wilson came in and threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, the Steelers scoring 37 points. Sure, you can quibble about the details here and there, but the offense looked smoother and more complete. With Justin Fields, you always sensed some limitations about what they could or would do.
Outside of perhaps designed quarterback runs, the Steelers have no such restrictions with Wilson. He has a Hall of Fame resume as a passer while Justin Fields decidedly does not. While he has tantalizing athletic gifts, eventually, you have to be able to make the critical throws.
As long as Russell Wilson plays competently, I don’t see any serious consideration of a change. At this point, I don’t think we can even confidently say the Steelers have any intention to play Fields again. They paid lip service to a possible package for him, but didn’t even consider it on Sunday.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
