Quarterback Russell Wilson is now 2-0 as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback. But even a perfect record hasn’t made the Steelers forget about Justin Fields.
Wilson is still expected to be the starter when Pittsburgh returns from their bye in Week 10. However, Fields could still return under center. It isn’t out of the equation that Fields plays again in 2024, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
One option for his return would be Wilson simply faltering. So far, he has impressed Steelers’ decision makers. He has made passes that Fields proved incapable of. Furthermore, the offense seems to have more cohesion to it. While his wins have come against the New York Jets and New York Giants, Wilson has done nothing to lose the starting role.
The other scenario would be Fields being used in different offensive packages while Wilson is on the field. Pittsburgh planned to do that back in training camp before Wilson’s injury. What Fields doesn’t have in passing ability, he makes up for in athleticism. The Steelers know they have a playmaker, and don’t want to see all of Fields’ talent on the sidelines.
In his two games as starter, Wilson has thrown for 542 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Fields threw for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in his six games as starter. He had four games with less than 200 yards passing and only one with 300+
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Still, Justin Fields has run for 2,451 yards and 19 touchdowns over his four-year career, including 231 yards and five scores in 2024. Over his 13-year NFL career, Wilson has run for 5,317 yards and 30 touchdowns. However, at this stage of his career, he isn’t the runner that Fields is.
Still, Russell Wilson has picked up where Fields left off and has the Steelers on a playoff trajectory. Both quarterbacks seem like they’ll be intertwined in controversy until the final play of the season.