Steelers' Polarizing QB Competition Could Affect Rest Of Team: 'Players Are Kind Of Walking On Eggshells'

The Pittsburgh Steelers are nearing the end of a very impressive 2024 offseason, as the coaching staff prepares to see what their unit looks like on the field. Positional upgrades were seen throughout the entire roster, especially at quarterback. General Manager Omar Khan acted fast and signed Russell Wilson before free agency officially opened up, and then traded for Justin Fields shortly after. This created one of the cheapest, and most intriguing quarterback rooms in the league.

Wilson is the presumptive starter, with Fields expected to sit behind him to begin the season. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has repeatedly said that Wilson is in "pole position" to earn the starting gig, but Fields will be given some opportunity to compete. 

Quarterback controversy is never good for a football team going into the season. As of now, in the midst of Organized Team Activities (OTAs), that's not what Pittsburgh has. They have a slight quarterback competition, but there doesn't seem to be any animosity around it. Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brian Batko, appeared on 93.7 The Fan and he spoke about the Steelers' current quarterback situation and how it is making an impact on the team.

"One of the things I'm trying to get a feel for at OTAs is just how are their teammates approaching this? For most of them it's nothing new, other than last year when Kenny [Pickett] was coming back as the unquestioned guy, back in 2022 they all had to answer questions about the quarterback competition. It's now that again, but kind of turned up even more because both of these guys have been starters in the NFL and both have an impressive skillset in their own right. So, I think players are kind of walking on eggshells a little bit, not really sure what to say or how to say it."

The majority of the Steelers' roster has dealt with a quarterback competition in the NFL before. In 2022, it was a question about whether Mitch Trubisky or a rookie Kenny Pickett would win the starting job. Now, it is more intense, due to Wilson having the status he does at this point in his career and the overall excitement surrounding Fields, despite the early struggles to begin his career. He still has a high ceiling and a lot of potential. 

Steelers' Wilson And Fields Have Different Perspective Of Quarterback Competition

The Steelers began OTAs on Tuesday, and this was also the first time that the local media got to meet with Fields. There was never an introductory press conference held for Fields after he was traded to Pittsburgh, which also gives some insight into Pittsburgh plans to start Wilson initially. When Fields was asked about his mindset heading into the Summer, he shared his plans to compete with Wilson everyday, and reiterated that he doesn't plan on being the backup. 

On the other hand, Wilson completely evaded the question when asked about the potential competition. Batko addressed the difference in how the two quarterbacks spoke to the media regarding the potential competition.

"Russ can kind of go on autopilot in interviews and say all the right things, but I thought it was sort of fascinating for Justin Fields to get up there Tuesday, for the first time since the trade, and basically took the tactic of saying he doesn't plan on sitting on the sideline all season. So, I guess you appreciate that mentality as a competitor, even though part of him might know it is going to be an uphill climb for him and he might need the guy in front of him to falter a little bit." 

Wilson would need to put out a disastrous performance throughout training camp in order to lose the starting job going into the 2024 season. It's most than likely he begins the year as the Steelers starting quarterback, and if he loses the job at any point in the season, it won't be till past the halfway point. The Steelers schedule is very difficult on the back half, while the start of the year is much more manageable. 

If Wilson begins to struggle in the later part of the season and the playoffs begin to slip away, Pittsburgh might throw Fields in just to see what he can do. This will maybe give them some time to evaluate him and see if they want to continue with him going forward. 

This works out well for Pittsburgh, because if Fields doesn't start until the back half of the season he will likely play under 50 percent of the snaps on the year. This would mean the 2025 conditional pick they gave the Chicago Bears would remain a sixth round pick, rather than upgrading to a fourth round pick.