The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the more interesting teams to dissect throughout the preseason as they were one team that was in the midst of a quarterback battle. They traded for Justin Fields and signed Russell Wilson during the offseason to bolster the team and coach Mike Tomlin has officially come to a decision about who will be under center in Week 1 on the road against the Atlanta Falcons.
Jay Glazer of FOX NFL Sunday is reporting that the veteran Russell Wilson has been officially named the starting quarterback and that Justin Fields will be slotted as the backup.
Mike Tomlin explains his decision to officially name Russell Wilson QB 1 pic.twitter.com/nud25VZGSj
— Jenna Harner (@JennaHarner11) August 28, 2024
These two battled in the preseason and below are some of the statistics that they put up throughout the three preseason games:
Justin Fields Preseason Stats
- 19-27 (70.4%) for 199 yards
- 0 TD to 0 INT
- 5 sacks
- 13 carries for 48 yards (3.7 yards per attempt)
- 4 fumbles (0 lost)
Russell Wilson Preseason Stats
- 10-12 (83.3%) for 74 yards
- 0 TD to 0 INT
- 3 sacks
As you can clearly see, the Pittsburgh Steelers did not have either quarterback take the job as both were pretty pedestrian during their preseason snaps. However, seeing Mike Tomlin go with the veteran does not come as much of a surprise.
Did the Pittsburgh Steelers make the correct decision?
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have made a mistake when making the decision for the starting quarterback. Justin Fields could be the long-term solution while Russell Wilson is seemingly just a placeholder for the franchise. While it makes sense if the team believes they are still capable of winning games, this does not seem like another year where the Steelers dominate.
We obviously do not know what Russell Wilson or Justin Fields looked like during practices or in meetings but Fields creates a more dynamic offense that keeps the defense on their toes. Wilson is a veteran quarterback who stays in the pocket, similar to what Tomlin had for years with Ben Roethlisberger.
This decision also does not mean that Justin Fields will be on the sidelines as there can still be packages created for Fields to get a series or a drive at a time. This Pittsburgh Steelers team is going to be interesting to dive into but we at least now know the starting quarterback.
About the Author
Vincent Pensabene graduated from Saint Leo University in 2019 with a B.A. in Sport Business and has focused on the media side of sports. He writes for multiple publications and is interested in the reasoning of why things happen. Feel free to follow him on social media @TalkVinTalk and discuss all things sports.
