Steelers' Alluring QB Room Is Still Their Biggest Weakness: 'Pittsburgh Is In No Man's Land'

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be a much different team in 2024 than they were during the 2023 season, mainly due to the revamped and revitalized quarterback room. Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph are all gone. Pickett was traded, Trubisky was released, and the organization let Rudolph walk in free agency. General Manager Omar Khan went out and signed Russell Wilson, traded for Justin Fields, and signed Kyle Allen. It's safe to say this is the most promising the Steelers have looked at quarterback since before Ben Roethlisberger's elbow injury in 2019. 

Pittsburgh has the most promise offensively than it has had in years due to the new quarterback room, along with new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith. Wilson is presumed to be the starting quarterback to begin the season for 2024, but Mike Tomlin has said Fields will have an opportunity to compete. Regardless of who starts the most games this season, it's better than what the Steelers were trotting on the field at the position in 2023. Despite the obvious improvement, quarterback was still called the Steelers weakest position by Dakota Randall of Pro Football Network. 

"Pittsburgh Steelers fans will talk themself into believing Justin Fields can be an effective NFL starting quarterback. The rest of the league would disagree with them. They also might believe Russell Wilson has something left in the tank. Again, the league would disagree with them. Pittsburgh is in no man's land at quarterback, hitching its wagons to an aging veteran a talented but deeply flawed fourth-year pro. There's a chance this works out, but it's slim."

Quarterback certainly isn't the Steelers best position, but with the way the front office has drastically improved that area of the team it's hard to call it the Steelers weak point. They still don't have a starting-caliber slot corner and some moves should probably be made at wide receiver, even after drafting Roman Wilson. The Steelers have a handful of areas of concern, including some that are far more worrisome than quarterback.

Life for Wilson has been a little rough since he left the Seattle Seahawks. His time with the Denver Broncos did not go smoothly, but he was a lot better in Denver than most people remember. In 2023 Wilson threw for over 3,000 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions in 15 games. His 26 passing touchdowns in 2023 is more than the Steelers offense has had in the last two seasons combined, so the position has been upgraded severely during the 2024 offseason. 

Like Wilson, Fields has also struggled in recent years. His first three seasons with the Chicago Bears were rocky, and he is certainly to blame for some of it, but so is the instability of the Bears' organization. His head coach was fired after his first season, he had two offensive coordinators during his time with the Bears, and the offense was lacking talent his entire time with the team. There was no effort to make life easier for Fields aside from trading for DJ Moore, as the Bears seemed to tank in 2022 and then decided they were going to move on from Fields in the middle of the 2023 season. 

Steelers Quarterbacks Will Be Set Up For Success In 2024

Pittsburgh welcomes a new offensive system under Smith, which has been known to be very run-heavy and quarterback friendly. Smith was one of the league's best coordinators during his time with the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and 2020. His offense was quarterbacked by Ryan Tannehill, who threw for 6,500 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in just 26 starts over that two year span. 

If Tannehill could find that kind of success in Smith's offense, so can Wilson or Fields. Wilson is a former All-Pro and a nine time Pro-Bowler, he knows how to play the position at a high level and he will use Smith's offense to his advantage in 2024.

What do you expect from Steelers quarterbacks in 2024?