Analyst Envisions Drastic Scenario for Justin Fields
Russell Wilson is in pole position to be the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback this season, but many wonder how long Wilson will hold onto that title. Justin Fields very well could supplant him in training camp or at some point during the season.
Carmen Vitali, who covers the NFC North for Fox Sports, thinks the Steelers need to be careful with not throwing Fields into the fire. Especially if he enters the starting lineup late in the year for the brutal eight-game gauntlet to finish the 2024 regular-season.
“If this happens where you do end up starting Russ, and he doesn’t do well, and you give him a leash of half a season or so to kind of figure it out, which would be fair, then you’re going to have a team that’s set up (for) this kind of quarterback, which is not what you need for Justin Fields to thrive in,” Vitali said during an appearance on the Minus Three Podcast with Dave Dameshek. “Then you throw him in the back half of that Steelers’ season, which is something unlike I’ve really ever seen before, is an absolute gauntlet, and to see Justin Fields have to go in there and get used to a new team in a system that’s not really created for him, against that kind of competition, I don’t see that going well either.”
Vitali makes a valid point that a late-season quarterback change wouldn’t be beneficial to Fields, especially with the slate of opponents. They would be setting him up for failure. The Steelers have their bye in Week 9 and that might be even too late for a QB change. Week 5-6 seems like the right spot to make a move if things are not working out with Wilson.
Fields made it clear at OTAs that he’s going to give Wilson a run for his money. He doesn’t plan on being a spectator.
“I definitely don’t have the mindset of me just sitting all year. I’m coming in here every day giving it all I got and pushing him to be his best, and he’s pushing me to be my best every single day,” Fields said at the first day of OTAs.
Read This Next
