Justin Fields has made the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ quarterback situation into what coach Mike Tomlin is calling “an incomplete study.” Tomlin was speaking, specifically, about evaluating Russell Wilson, Fields’ direct competition. But it’s fair to categorize the quarterback competition as such.
For the past few weeks, Fields received help from Wilson, who has missed time with a calf injury. Wilson’s absence from practice has opened the door for Fields. But even with Wilson healthy, he has done nothing to settle the QB1 question.
And I’d bet the Steelers thought they’d have their quarterback situation figured out by now. Wilson signed with Pittsburgh on a comically below-market contract: one year and $1.2 million. The quarterback could afford to take the deal because the Broncos are paying him $37.79 million as part of his five-year, $242 million deal with Denver. But that contract brought expectations. Wilson failed to meet them. And the deal now looks like one of the worst contracts in history.
So, yeah, you can see why Wilson made expectations as low as possible when joining the Steelers. And Pittsburgh gladly took him at that rate.
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The idea was pretty straightforward. With Wilson coming in at such a low cost — just a hair more expensive than what Brock Purdy, a seventh-round pick still on his rookie deal, is getting paid in San Francisco — the Steelers could afford to bring in a developmental quarterback (Fields) and maybe even another top-flight receiver. The second part of the plan hasn’t quite worked out (yet?) with the Steelers hoping and waiting for the 49ers to trade Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh.
But technically, the first part hasn’t exactly worked either. Fields was supposed to be a project that would likely take a full year. Wilson’s presence was supposed give Fields a year to reset after he developed bad habits in a Chicago offense in which he was unsupported. But Fields looks pretty comfortable in this offense, given the issues on the offensive line.
Mike Tomlin: Steelers QB battle an “incomplete study”
In the Steelers’ second preseason game, last Saturday against the Bills, Wilson looked like he was dealing with many of the same issues he faced in Denver. Once among the most slippery QBs in the NFL, Wilson took three sacks on just 13 dropbacks. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 47 yards — a paltry 4.7 yards per attempt.
“You just don’t get a chance to see him operate or us operate or us establish rhythm and personality when you’re not winning possession downs, and we weren’t,” Tomlin said when asked about Wilson’s performance. “The first three or so series of the game, it was three-and-out, and you’re not going to get an opportunity to establish rhythm or play the way that you would like as an individual or a collective.”
Fields wasn’t worlds better as a passer, completing 11 of 17 for 92 yards and one sack. But he added eight carries for 42 yards.
“I thought he got better in some areas,” Tomlin said of Fields. “I thought he did a nice job utilizing his legs, whether it was impromptu or otherwise, to keep some situations alive.”
And if not for fourth-string receiver T.J. Luther misreading a deep pass, Fields would probably have thrown a 40-yard touchdown.
“I definitely feel like I could’ve came down with that one,” Luther said, via Steelersnow.com.
The Steelers didn’t score a touchdown under either quarterback in the 9-3 loss to Buffalo. So it’s not like either player was a revelation. That’s the other layer to this quarterback battle: Fields hasn’t done enough to take the job away from Wilson.
“We work to score touchdowns,” Tomlin said. “We’re just not going to be compromising in that regard.”
Again, that’s why Tomlin is calling this an incomplete evaluation. But the longer that Wilson lets Fields hang around the competition, the more likely Fields is to win it. With the right coaching staff, he should demonstrate more consistency than he showed in Chicago. Now, I don’t think Pittsburgh is quarterback heaven, but it’s an absolute upgrade from the dysfunction Fields lived through in Chicago.
Wilson, meanwhile, has yet to look like his old self. Given that we’re seeing shades of the Denver version of Wilson, his decline appears to be legit. There was always that chance Wilson simply didn’t work in Denver because he wasn’t right for coach Sean Payton’s scheme. But even in Pittsburgh, Wilson doesn’t seem to have recaptured his form.
Even with another change of scenery, Wilson doesn’t seem to be changing.
Why Mike Tomlin deserves criticism for the Steelers’ QB situation
I’ll admit this is a reactionary time. It might be the most over-reactionary time of the season. It’s so difficult to pick apart preseason action when the plays don’t represent what the offenses and defenses would run in a game. And former Steelers coach Bill Cowher thinks Tomlin would be smart to stick with Wilson.
“If I’m Mike Tomlin … I think you start the season with Russell,” Cowher said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “Justin Fields, if he starts as the second guy, have a package of plays. If all of a sudden you need a spark, something to get your offense going again, put him in. If you have to take Russell out, he’s been there before. It’s not going to destroy his confidence. I don’t want to start Justin Fields, then feel like I have to make a change and I have to take him out.”
OK, fine. But shouldn’t a team decide on its starter because he’s the better player? It feels foolish to start a player because he’s easier to bench.
If you want to start Fields, you start him.
It’s smart to prepare for the possibility of a benching. But to predicate your decision on a starter around it? That seems foolish.
If Tomlin names Fields the starter, that would beg the question of what’s next for Wilson. It’s likely the Steelers will want to keep him on the roster in case they do actually need to bench Fields. That’s just good personnel management.
But that decision could change the trajectory of Wilson’s career.
This might be his last chance. The more ground he gives up to Fields, the more likely Wilson is to serve as a backup in 2024 — and maybe to enter retirement in 2025. Wilson is trending the way of Matt Ryan and Cam Newton, quarterbacks who couldn’t quite replicate the success that they had with their first team. It’s a slippery slope for Wilson.
If he isn’t careful, Fields might render him obsolete.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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