Reporter shares why Justin Fields trails Russell Wilson in Steelers' QB competition

During a recent appearance on Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan, Pittsburgh Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly of The Athletic touched upon why he's repeatedly said that Justin Fields trails Russell Wilson regarding a quarterback competition that may already be over.

"I mean, extremely athletic, extremely quick out of the pocket," Kaboly said about Fields, as shared by Adam Miller of Steelers Depot. "He could make some crazy throws where you're like, wow, that's, that's impressive...Then it's all of a sudden, you see one, he overshoots it by 30 yards or underthrows it. You're like, what's going on here?"

By just about every account from individuals who watched the Steelers from organized team activities through mandatory minicamp, Wilson emerged as the favorite to win the competition and even as the "undisputed leader" of Pittsburgh's offense. Meanwhile, Fields seemingly looked more like a work in progress who is still developing as an NFL quarterback at the age of 25.

"It's just gonna take time to coach him up and get him more comfortable with the mechanics of the whole thing," Kaboly added about Fields. "That's what this offseason's for. That's what this training camp's for. That's what this preseason's for, is to see if he can switch things around, be more consistent. Then he could easily be the franchise quarterback here."

For what it's worth, Steelers beat reporter Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said on 93.7 The Fan ahead of this past weekend that fans shouldn't "make it a big deal" that Fields experienced accuracy issues during springtime workouts that occurred after he joined Pittsburgh via a trade from the Chicago Bears in March.

"I think you have to remember, number one, [Fields is] coming in, he's with a new team, he's with a new [offensive coordinator], he's with a new quarterbacks coach," Fittipaldo continued during that segment, according to Steelers Depot's Matthew Marczi. "They're probably trying to tinker with his game a bit before they throw him out there in July. I think that might be one aspect of it."

That's all well and good, but the Steelers signed Wilson to a team-friendly contract with the hope that he'll prove to be an upgrade at the position coming off Pittsburgh's 2023 campaign that included the club notching a 10-7 regular-season record en route to earning a playoff berth. 

Neither Wilson nor Fields is guaranteed a roster spot with the Steelers beyond the upcoming season. Fields seems on track to find himself watching from the sideline when Pittsburgh plays at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 on Sept. 8.