When Mike Tomlin initially made the change from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson, he received a ton of criticism. However, that ended up proving to be the correct decision, with Wilson elevating the Steelers’ offense over his first few starts. Despite that, after their four-game losing streak, some people want Fields to replace Wilson as the starter. Wilson has seemed to regress over the past few games, but Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t believe that’s likely to happen.
“I don’t really foresee that unless there was like a really, really bad start,” Fittipaldo said Thursday on radio station 93.7 The Fan. “I do think Justin Fields is gonna be involved, though. Let’s say they get down 14-0 in the first quarter.
“I don’t think it’s sending the right message to your football team that we’ve gone with this guy the entire season and now we’re gonna panic and we’re gonna go to a backup. I just think they believe in Russ [Wilson] for a reason.”
That seems to have been the Steelers’ attitude with Wilson for this entire season, even while he was hurt. Fields began the season as the starter, and he led the team to a 4-2 record. Through all of that, Mike Tomlin never committed to him as the starter, reaffirming his belief in Wilson.
A few weeks ago, that felt like the right call, and Fittipaldo does make a good point. The Steelers usually aren’t quick to panic. Even if they stumble out of the gate against the Baltimore Ravens, it’s likely they’ll continue to ride with Wilson.
It feels like the time to switch from Wilson to Fields as the starter has passed. The Steelers had the AFC North title in their grasp, but then, their entire team collapsed. Their defense became unreliable, and Wilson started to hurt the team more than he helped it.
While the Steelers’ defense looked improved in Week 18, Wilson and the offense didn’t look much better. Throwing Fields in while they’re down by multiple scores to the Ravens feels like too little, too late. If Wilson is the offense’s sole issue, then the Steelers should’ve made a change weeks ago. Fields suffering an injury against the Philadelphia Eagles likely made the idea of a switch much harder to sell, too.
The reality is more likely that Fields won’t magically fix all of the Steelers’ issues. Fittipaldo is correct that the Steelers should use Fields in some capacity on offense. Whether that’s short yardage or in the red zone, he could provide the Steelers with a spark if they need one.
We’ll see if Fields gets any snaps against the Ravens. In the Steelers’ victory over them earlier this year, Fields did seal the game by running for a first down. Weaponizing his athleticism again might not be a bad idea, especially if the Steelers’ offense continues to play poorly. They probably shouldn’t wait until they’re in too deep of a hole to utilize him, though.
