The media has been pounding the table for the Pittsburgh Steelers to start Justin Fields over Russell Wilson all offseason long, and that has only gotten louder since Wilson missed time in training camp due to a calf injury. And, it is now deafening after Wilson and the offense struggled in preseason Week 2.
But Wilson's struggles were not all his fault, as the offensive line definitely let him down in the contest. Adding to that, Fields wasn't able to do much better, with the difference being his superior mobility allowing him to escape easier.
Taking that into account, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio recently stated that the Steelers would be "crazy" to start Wilson over Fields.
“I don't know what the Steelers are thinking, but I think it'd be crazy not to go with Justin Fields looking at that offense," Florio said. "The way the offensive line is playing. And you throw on top of it Jaylen Warren presumably being injured into the season. Where do you get the burst? Where do you get the acceleration? Where do you get the excitement? You get it from Justin Fields.”
“There just was a greater sense of excitement when Justin Fields played," Florio added. "And if the offense isn't going to be what it needs to be, go with the guy that gives you that ability to make things happen. When protection falls apart, when the play that's called goes to crap, and you've gotta have a guy who can improvise with his legs.”
While the Steelers have not officially made their decision, head coach Mike Tomlin has made it clear that Wilson remains in the lead for the job. At this point, it's unlikely Fields will be able to wrestle that away from him with one preseason game left.
That said, Wilson's job is anything but safe once the regular season begins. If the veteran quarterback struggles, it likely won't be too long before Fields takes over.
