As Russell Wilson continues to be in the pole position for the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback job ahead of Justin Fields, one beat writer believes things are close between the two.
Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo, Fields has been "matching" Wilson "throw-for-throw" in practice since Wilson has been doing more in his return from a calf injury.
"Russ has looked good in practice when he has had the opportunity to throw, but you would think that would be his big edge over Fields," Fittipaldo explained on the North Shore Drive podcast. "But right now, Fields is kind of matching him throw-for-throw in practice. Those throws over the middle, where there's a lot of timing between the receiver and the QB, those have been really good for Fields."
"(Fields has) looked pretty darn good since an uneven first week of camp," Fittipaldo added. "Obviously, you want Russ to be in there, to be healthy, but I don't know that the Steelers would be having nightmares at night with Justin Fields as the quarterback. I think he's proven that he could be that guy for them."
We saw some of what Fittipaldo was talking about at practice on Monday. Wilson uncorked a beautiful deep ball to wide receiver Calvin Auston for a long score on one play, and Fields later matched that with his own deep ball to wideout Van Jefferson.
Russell Wilson uncorks his moon ball. Connects with Calvin Austin for an 80-plus yard TD.
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 12, 2024
And now a deep ball from Justin Fields to Van Jefferson, who came down with it despite tight coverage from Joey Porter Jr. Really nice throw from Fields.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 12, 2024
While Fields going shot-for-shot with Wilson is certainly a great sign for the Steelers' overall hopes at quarterback, he's going to have to greatly outperform Wilson to take the pole position away from him before the season starts.
As of right now, there's been nothing to suggest that's happening. Fields, who didn't move the needle in preseason Week 1, will have a chance to outshine Wilson in preseason Week 2, when he's expected to make his 2024 debut.
