Russell Wilson was at one point viewed as a sure thing to be the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, but the competition suddenly seems more open than ever.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said back in March that Wilson was in the “pole position” to be the team’s starting QB. Tomlin then reiterated that stance at the start of training camp last month.
The situation has since gotten a bit more uncertain. Tomlin was critical of Pittsburgh’s entire offense following Saturday’s ugly 9-3 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said on Tuesday that the Steelers’ QB1 job is truly up for grabs.
“Justin Fields had a really, really good start of preseason. Either of those guys could take the job right now, grab onto it and be the starter,” Rapoport said. “The fact that that has not happened is not great. … They don’t have an answer yet, not that they won’t, they just don’t. This also is shaping up to be a situation where the Steelers could end up, at some point during the season, playing both of these quarterbacks if one doesn’t stand out.”
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The #Steelers evaluation at QB is, thus far, incomplete. pic.twitter.com/w12ZoXJpAm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2024
Wilson made his preseason debut on Saturday and completed 8-of-10 passes, but he tallied just 47 yards and was sacked three times. Fields completed 11-of-17 passes for 92 yards. Pass protection was also a big issue for the Steelers in the game.
Even with Wilson having the upper hand all along, Fields has had every opportunity to seize the starting job. He struggled in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener however, which led to some harsh criticism from Tomlin.
It remains likely that Wilson will enter the season as the starter, but it may not be long before Fields gets an opportunity. The reality is that Tomlin and the Steelers are not happy with what they have seen from either quarterback this summer.
