How long does Justin Fields keep the Steelers starting quarterback job?
One of the hottest talking points surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers in recent years is the starting quarterback position. Going back to the final years of Ben Roethlisberger under center, fans have been waiting for the “next guy” to take the reigns as the team’s franchise quarterback.
There was hope that Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett were the heirs to the throne, but the Steelers wiped the slate clean this offseason, releasing Trubisky and trading Pickett. Their replacements are nine-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson and former Chicago Bears first-round pick Justin Fields.
Wilson and Fields were each seen as coming from broken teams where their talents were underutilized. Wilson, the elder of the two players, is a 35-year-old former Super Bowl winner who is out to prove he still has something left. Fields, who is ten years younger, is out to show he can be a star in the NFL.
With Wilson sidelined due to a calf injury thus far this season, Fields has been the Steelers starter through two games. Proponents and opponents alike continue to debate how much longer Fields retains the starting job. Has he done enough already to be Pittsburgh’s long-term starter? Or is he holding a spot until Wilson is healthy?
Both statements can be true as Fields has two wins in his corner. The fourth-year quarterback hasn’t turned the ball over yet this season, which is a large reason why he’s been able to guide the Steelers to victory. But one bad game could quickly sour the Fields experiment and see the Ohio State product sent to the bench.
The question then becomes, “When does Wilson takeover?”
Wilson’s injury was thought to keep him sidelined for the first two to three weeks of the season, which lines up with this Sunday’s home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. As difficult as it may have been to sit and watch from the bench as his new team took on his old team, if Wilson was healthy, he would’ve been out there for a “revenge” game.
But he wasn’t. This leads me to believe this is still Fields team until it isn’t. However, the ice is very thin and the timer is ticking for Wilson’s debut.
I’m fairly pleased with how Fields has performed so far in 2024, all considering. With Chicago, Fields threw 41 touchdowns to 30 interceptions in 42 games. In 2023, he had six games in which he threw for fewer than 200 yards and another four in which he failed to top 250. He had seven touchdowns to five interceptions throughout those ten games.
Those are far from elite numbers in the NFL and Chicago’s record reflected such. However, the underwhelming starts have carried over to Pittsburgh, at least on the stat sheet.
In two games this season, Fields has thrown for 156 and 117 yards with a single touchdown pass. In fairness, four different penalties wiped out an additional 106 passing yards plus a touchdown. In other words, Fields should look better on the box score.
Perhaps this is what the Steelers staff is seeing as well, but the leash is still short on Justin going forward. Consider the Steelers started 2-1 to get their 2023 season going. In those games, Kenny Pickett threw for 232, 222, and 235 yards. He had four touchdowns to three interceptions – and was widely considered lousy as the team dropped some embarrassing losses along the way before canning offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
A four-game stretch between Weeks 7 and 11 saw the Steeler offense struggle to score points. They netted 10, 20, 23, and 10 against the Jaguars, Titans, Packers, and Browns: good for a 2-2 record. Pickett’s numbers during that span were similarly paltry to Fields’ slow start: 73, 160, 126, and 106 yards. (The 73-yard game was due to leaving the game with a potential concussion.)
While the Steelers were vested in developing their second-year, first-round pick, Fields is an outsider who has no long-term plans secured with the team, as he’s operating under the final year of his original rookie contract with Chicago.
Another sub-200-yard game without sustaining touchdown drives would tip the cap to Wilson starting sooner, with Fields reverting to the bench. Yet, a dynamic game with no turnovers would keep Fields in the fold for maybe one week longer, as Pittsburgh eyes another road trip in Week 4 against the floundering Indianapolis Colts.
All bets are off by Week 5, as the Dallas Cowboys come to town for Sunday Night Football. Unless Wilson’s injury is serious and he’s unable to play at a high level, it could be the former Seahawk and Bronco’s debut.
But that game could come as soon as this weekend against the Chargers, though it’s still unlikely. A stubborn Mike Tomlin will stick with consistency before testing the waters with a rusty, maybe still limping Wilson. The wild card is if Fields turns the ball over, which will send Wilson under center sooner rather than later.
If Fields can manage the game, and win with stout defense, it would bode well for his future. The key factor will be scoring points – the coaching staff has to believe that Wilson can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best.
Fields has yet to prove that in his short tenure in the NFL. He provided manageable matchups against Kirk Cousins and Bo Nix and should do the same against Justin Herbert and Anthony Richardson.
Whether Fields can get into a shootout with Dak Prescott or Aaron Rodgers during the second stanza of the season is undetermined. That’s why Fields’ clock is ticking and we may see Wilson sooner rather than later, as the Steelers will need more than 18 and 13 points to top the league’s better offenses, several of which (Ravens, Chiefs, Eagles) they’ll all see later in the year.
