ORLANDO, Fla. — Russell Wilson occupies the “pole position” at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason, but that won’t prevent Justin Fields from getting his chance to unseat the nine-time Pro Bowl and former Super Bowl-winning passer.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Monday morning that the intrigue surrounding Fields is something the Steelers can’t wait to explore in the run-up to the 2024 season.
The Steelers acquired Fields a day after they sent Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. Fields started 38 games the past three seasons in Chicago. Even though he won just 10 of those games, he showed enough as a dual threat passer for the Steelers to move on from Pickett so they could acquire Fields.
“He oozes talent and potential,” Tomlin said to kick off the second day of the NFL annual meetings. “He’s worn the responsibility of being a franchise quarterback. Still, he gets an opportunity to come into a community-like situation and gets to learn from a guy who has been doing it for over a decade. Man, there is a lot of meat left on that bone. I’m just excited about working to be a part of extracting it.”
Fields’ improvisational skills are such that he rushed for 1,143 yards in 2022, leading the NFL with 7.1 yards per attempt. He also showed inconsistency as a passer — he threw 40 touchdown passes and had 30 interceptions in three seasons — that the Bears decided to move on from Fields. They are expected to draft former USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick.
Tomlin said Fields’ talents fit into what he and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith envision for the Steelers offense this season. And it’s a matter of time until Fields gets a chance to compete for a larger role on the Steelers.
“We’re not resistant to competition, but I think it’s appropriate to establish positioning as we get into this thing,” Tomlin said. “During the time when we’re not formally working, I think that’s beneficial.”
Wilson was selected to the Pro Bowl in all but one of his 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He didn’t fare as well during two seasons in Denver when he went 11-19 in 30 starts and was sacked a whopping 100 times.
“I don’t have any concerns about his capabilities or deterioration of those,” Tomlin said.
Bothered by a lat injury that he believes contributed to his throwing just 16 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in 2022, Wilson rebounded to throw 26 touchdowns last year while reducing his interceptions to eight. He also was sacked 10 fewer times.
“Denver was a different environment than Seattle,” Tomlin said. “I care less about what transpired. I’m excited about what awaits us. We’re not going to spend a lot of time looking in our rear-view mirror. We’re going to look through the windshield and keep it moving.”
