The Pittsburgh Steelers managed this offseason to add both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to their quarterback room. The general view sees Wilson as the present option, with Fields as the potential long-term answer. Yet there are more than a few who believe Fields’ time is now, when Wilson is the alternative.
Include NFL Network analyst Marc Ross in that group, who addressed the matter of Wilson in Pittsburgh. Asked on NFL Total Access if Wilson was going to “cook” in Pittsburgh, he said, “On the bench”.
The segment was supposed to be about whether Wilson would fare better in Pittsburgh than he did in Denver. Ross more or less answered that question by saying he’s not even going to start, once the Steelers added Fields.
“I would say Justin Fields really being the playmaker that he, is with that Pittsburgh defense being as stout as they are, Mike Tomlin one of the best coaches, you know they’ll be in the mix,” he said. “But to me, Justin Fields just gives that element of, we really just need one big play to win games for us. We’ve seen how Pittsburgh has struggled with their quarterback position over the past five years. Justin Field provides that big-play ability that just [takes the pressure off] that defense.”
The Steelers haven’t ranked inside the top 20 in points per game since 2020. On the flip side, they almost always rank inside the top 10 in defensive points allowed. They’ve done so every year except for one since 2019, ranking sixth in 2023. On the flip side, the offense ranked 28th in scoring at just 17.9 points per game. They had a minus-1.2 point differential despite posting a 10-7 record. Somehow they’ve managed winning records each of the past two years in spite of significant deficits in point differential.
But Tomlin and the Steelers don’t want to keep winning the hard way. In theory, Ross has a point. You have more big-play potential with Fields just for the fact that he is far more athletic and can open up the field with his legs, either by taking off or by giving receivers time to lose defenders in coverage.
Fields did have 45 completions of 20-plus yards a year ago despite missing four games. He also had seven runs of 15 yards or more, including a 39-yard run. In 2022, he rushed for 1,143 yards with 8 touchdowns.
But he’s also fumbled 38 times in 40 career games, and he has a 3.1-percent interception ratio. The Bears didn’t score a ton of points, either, ranking 18th last year as a high point in Fields’ tenure. Can he do more in Pittsburgh with Arthur Smith’s offense and a strong running game? Well, the Steelers hope so, but they’re not relying on it. They brought in Wilson for that, the Fields trade only developing after Kenny Pickett was gone.
