After two years of very subpar play from Kenny Pickett, the Pittsburgh Steelers now have a Hall of Famer at quarterback in Russell Wilson.
Wilson just suffered through a disastrous two-year stint with the Denver Broncos, but he could very well return to form this season.
Behind him is Justin Fields, who was disappointing in his first three NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears but is still thought by some to have real potential.
There has been some speculation that perhaps Fields will eventually supplant Wilson as the Steelers’ QB1 and that it could perhaps happen by Week 1, but head coach Mike Tomlin apparently shot down that speculation, per Brooke Pryor.
Mike Tomlin: not backing himself into any corners https://t.co/B3kOKyL853 pic.twitter.com/N1s2jgkMgt
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) July 24, 2024
In his three pro seasons, Fields has completed just 60.3 percent of his pass attempts and thrown 40 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions in 40 games.
The hope is that being on a new team with a different offense and a stellar head coach in Tomlin, who has never posted a losing record since taking over the Steelers in 2007, will improve his fortunes.
Wilson, though, has to be the obvious choice for the starting job, at least right now, given his track record and recent numbers.
He rebounded from a very poor 2022 season to throw for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns while completing 66.4 percent of his pass attempts, although his 6.9 yards per pass attempt were a career low for him.
Pittsburgh may not have a rich cast of stars on offense, but its defense, led by pass rusher T.J. Watt and new arrival Patrick Queen, should give Wilson and Fields a good amount of support.
