Mike Tomlin may not have announced a Week 1 starter after Saturday’s season finale, but the division of labor told us everything we needed to know. If it were a real competition, Wilson wouldn’t have walked off the field after throwing just two passes to evaluate quarterbacks before the season began.
Former NFL head coach Herm Edwards has seen enough to make a decision if he were in charge.
“Russell Wilson is the starter for me, but I’m not Mike Tomlin,” Edward said overnight on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Wilson has been in pole position the entire time and I’m not sure that’s ever come close to changing. Tomlin held him out for most of training camp to prevent a minor calf issue from becoming a major one. Despite the extra reps and a strong performance from Justin Fields throughout practice, Russell Wilson returned to his QB1 position as soon as he was healthy enough for a full return.
But Fields could have earned a bigger role or more confidence on some occasional plays during the regular season.
“I would find a way to use both,” Edwards said. “I actually would. I mean, in certain situations where you suddenly bring in Justin Fields, it’s a problem for the defense. Now, every week, you talk about a defensive coordinator having to prepare for both quarterbacks.”
In the second half of the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills and during Fields’ snaps yesterday against the Lions, we saw things like the read option and some RPOs that could cause problems for the opposing defense.
The next play was a third-down conversion for Fields during his first-quarter touchdown drive. He simply reads the end player at the line, pulls the football, and gains the yards needed to extend the drive.
Best of all, Fields has shown enough with his arm throughout his career that it wouldn’t be an obvious sign that they’re running strict read options and planned QB runs. Defenses would still have to respect his arm when he comes into the game.
It’s unorthodox and not many teams do it, but the Steelers seem willing to use two quarterbacks in the regular season. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fields gets at least a few snaps in each game. And there’s no need to worry too much about what Russell Wilson will think. He’s already advocated creating a package of plays for Fields.
