Despite a calf injury that sidelined him for much of training camp, the Steelers have picked Russell Wilson as the starter for week 1, with Justin Fields backing him up. ESPN’s Louis Riddick, who has previously advocated for Fields to be the starter in Pittsburgh, couldn’t help but be a little cynical of HC Mike Tomlin’s decision.
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Tomlin unannounced Wednesday that “Russ is QB1 going into Week 1” against the Falcons. While Wilson comes with a lot of experience behind him, Fields has been impressing in training camp, which had fans and analysts like Riddick hoping to see him first in the depth chart.
While disagreeing with Tomlin’s decision, Riddick ceded that the HC probably had more information about the quarterbacks, and noted that Wilson’s extensive resume and practice reps likely gave him the edge, suggesting that barring an exceptional performance from Fields, Wilson was always going to be the starter. He explained,
“It sounds like even with Justin Fields coming out, and being Patrick Mahomes, he wasn’t winning the job anyway. It was really all geared towards Russell has to do something dramatic to lose it, and Fields has to do something dramatic to win it.”
Riddick remained pessimistic about Wilson’s success as the starter as he emphasized that while the QB may know the offense inside out, he needs to demonstrate the ability to move the ball downfield, score touchdowns, and make plays when the offense breaks down against formidable defenses.
Although Tomlin stated that both quarterbacks were competing for the starting job throughout the preseason, Russell Wilson consistently seemed to have the advantage. However, Fields supporters need not be worried as it’s likely we’ll see more of the young quarterback in the regular season.
Tomlin’s plans for Fields
As Riddick predicts for Wilson, if he begins to falter in his stint as the starter for the team, it’s very likely that Tomlin will replace the veteran with the younger Fields. Tomlin himself hasn’t closed the door on the possibility of Fields featuring in “some packages” as he said:
“His talent — his unique talent as it pertains to mobility — is something that we’re open to weaponizing.”
It seems the HC has a plan for Fields during the season opener in Atlanta. During his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, he revealed,
“My friend Raheem Morris better be ready for a Justin Fields package…There’s too much talent to be sitting around watching.”
While Wilson will be the uncontested starter on Sept 8, it seems Tomlin and Fields have some plans to inject some energy into the Steelers’ offense when necessary.
