The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a unique quarterback situation this season with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and the back-and-forth over who’s starting, as Wilson suffered an injury during the conditioning test in training camp and then again ahead of Week 1. That led Fields to be Pittsburgh’s starter during the season and also to open training camp, and Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth was impressed by the leadership Wilson showed when he was out.
“Where else would you have a situation play out like the one we’ve had with Justin and Russ this season? I feel like in most locker rooms, that could’ve been a tense situation. But everyone from Russ to Justin to the coaches to the organization have handled it with class and turned it into a positive,” Freiermuth wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
He added that he feels a lot of quarterbacks would’ve gone to rehab on their own after getting hurt, but Wilson stayed with the team and helped Fields grow.
“But Russ was with us in the building every step on the way, helping Justin be the quarterback that he wants to be. I can’t speak for every other locker room, but I feel like that’s really unique in the NFL. Seeing those two guys interact every day, and just being all about one another and the betterment of the team, it was contagious. Zero jealousy. Zero resentment. Russ was just an awesome leader. The whole team felt the vibe shift. It was the best camp atmosphere we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
With Fields now having started the first four games of the season and Wilson getting close to full health, it gives a peek inside what the dynamic could be like if the Steelers roll with Fields as the starter. There’s been speculation by analysts that Wilson wouldn’t be happy as the backup, but the way Freiermuth tells it, he’s been nothing but accommodating and helping Fields grow as a player, which spread to the rest of the team and made their time at St. Vincent College smooth.
The vibe carried over into the regular season, with the Steelers playing good football en route to a 3-0 start. While they had a hiccup in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh has looked better than a lot of people expected, and their defense can carry them, especially if Fields can continue to play the way he did in Week 3 and the second half of Week 4.
Given Freiermuth’s comments, there should be no concern from the Steelers about naming Fields the starter going forward, and it seems as if Wilson has embraced mentoring and teaching Fields, and that leadership role could be invaluable for the rest of the season, while also staying ready if he’s needed. It’s awesome that the two quarterbacks helped things go so smoothly in training camp and seemingly re-energized the team, and hopefully the dynamic continues to carry over throughout the season.
