Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin faces a daunting decision.
Following an open competition for the starting quarterback job that saw neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields meaningfully separate themselves, Tomlin named Wilson the starter for the season opener only to have the veteran sidelined due to a calf injury.
Enter Fields.
At age 25, and making his first start in a Steelers uniform, Fields was an effective game-manager in Pittsburgh’s 18-10 knockdown, drag out, defensive struggle of a victory to open the season. Fields completed 73.9 percent of his passes for 156 yards and made a couple of plays with his legs as a scrambler when the pocket broke down.
Fields by no stretch of the imagination set the world on fire nor took a firm hold of the starting job based on his performance in Atlanta.
However, at age 25, Fields offers significantly more upside with far loftier potential than Wilson does at this stage of his career. Especially given that Wilson struggled to find consistency this summer during the preseason.
Will Mike Tomlin Turn to Justin Fields Over Russell Wilson in Week 2?
Tomlin now must decide whether to follow a relative trend of a Steelers starting quarterback not losing his job due to injury weighed against how much better offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and the coaching Staff believe Fields can be from here.
If Fields can build on his showing in the opener, following a full week’s of practice reps with the first-team offense and the given input in the game plan that comes with being the starter, the Steelers may have the opportunity to evaluate whether he can become the long-term answer and if he’s worth signing to a long-term contract to provide meaningful stability at the position.
For now, it sounds like this is still Wilson’s job and Wilson’s team.
“It’s really not a long, drawn-out process,” Tomlin told reporters after the game. “I’d rather deal with short-term misery, to be quite honest with you. We’re in Week 1. There’s a lot of ball out in front of us. I just thought it was appropriate to put the healthy guys on the field.
“I felt really good about both quarterbacks. I was very clear to you guys when I named Russ the starter how comfortable I was with both quarterbacks. And so, if that is true, why not be really comfortable with playing Justin under the circumstances with Russ being in less-than-ideal physical shape? That was a thought process. There wasn’t a lot of discussion. Russ was very supportive today, and that was appreciated. But we went with Justin. I’m glad we got two real capable quarterbacks.”
Whether Wilson can get healthy enough in time may still be a hurdle to him starting against the Broncos in Denver in Week 2. But, the promise of Fields’ potential can’t be ignored, either.
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