Can Justin Fields Keep Steelers Starting Quarterback Gig?
Can Justin Fields find a way to keep the Pittsburgh Steelers staring quarterback job now that Russell Wilson is healthy?
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With the Pittsburgh Steelers dropping two straight and falling out of the division lead, you knew that the rumblings for a quarterback change were going to get a little bit louder this week. Russell Wilson, captain and still the first-team signal caller on the depth chart, went through practice as a full participant for the first time since re-aggravating his calf injury prior to the season opener. At this point, is there anything that Justin Fields can to do keep the gig under center?
It’s worth remembering that Wilson was the first domino this offseason and he was immediately considered the favorite to start the season as QB1, with head coach Mike Tomlin repeatedly admitting that the nine-time Pro Bowler had “pole position” in his competition with Fields. Because of his health, we’ve seen very little of him since the training camp began. But Wilson’s lengthy NFL resume is likely going to matter more to the coaching staff than anything they could have learned about him in that setting.
In his unexpected opportunity, Fields has been mostly solid through the first month of the season. Among NFL quarterbacks in 2024, he ranks 15th in both EPA/play and success rate while cutting his turnovers rate down from his time in Chicago. In totality, he’s played a little bit better than most would have expected given the fact that he’s functioning in an environment that includes: an offensive line featuring a revolving door of cast members, an inconsistent run game and the lack of complimentary playmakers on the outside. He absolutely deserves credit for that.
But Fields is coming off his worst game in a Steelers uniform from a tape perspective. Not all of the blame should fall at his feet as there were several throws that hit receivers in the hands that they couldn’t haul in. Tomlin repeatedly recalled the first quarter incompletion to Connor Heyward that had a smidge too much air on it but was a good enough throw to be caught. The lack of explosive plays in this offense, particularly off play action, are a notable reason why this unit is only averaging 18.4 points per game, landing 26th in the NFL. Obviously,
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On Sunday night, the more concerning part was that Fields simply didn’t execute the offense at a high level. He turned down a big play to Calvin Austin III on a deep crosser over the middle before proceeding to launch an ill-advised throw to the backside safety that should have been intercepted. There were multiple occasions on third down where his eyes went to Pat Freiermuth during his drop but went elsewhere with the ball despite No. 88 winning versus man coverage. All of this of course came on a night where Dallas was missing their two best defensive players in Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence.
As a quarterback, there are things that will always be outside of your control including the separation generated by your receivers, the effectiveness of your run game and even the play calling from your offensive coordinator. But Fields has to capitalize on the plays where there are open receivers within the structure of the offense. Not executing in those moments are things that drive the folks in charge crazy because they’re effectively missed opportunities that cost you dearly at the end of the day.
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That sets the stage for this Sunday being arguably the most important game of Fields career because it could determine whether or not he’s the guy moving forward. It’s unrealistic to expect him to light up the box score given the environment he’s operating within, even against a Las Vegas Raiders defense that is short-handed in their own right. But Fields is capable of playing much better than he did last weekend and we know that as the truth because we’ve seen it before as recently as this year. He just needs to execute the offense, play within himself and make the splash plays when they’re given to him.
His goal this weekend should be pretty simple: score some more points and win the game. If he leaves this weekend as 4-2 as a starter and playing pretty good football, it’s going to be a little more difficult to turn to Wilson. It would be even more impressive if he can elevate the play of his teammates. However, if Fields doesn’t play well on Sunday, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the coaching staff wants to make a change. That’s the life of a backup quarterback in this league trying to resurrect your career. Sometimes the hand that you’re dealt is far from ideal and in this case, that’s true. All he can do is be his best, force the Steelers into making a tough decision and see where the cards fall after that.