The Pittsburgh Steelers have accelerated their quarterback room mightily the previous week, signing Russell Wilson to be their starter and trading for Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields to be Wilson’s backup.
The Steelers deserve credit score for being proactive after rating just 28th in passing offense ultimate season. However, they additionally deserve criticism for already handing the beginning job to Wilson. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Steelers head train Mike Tomlin reached out to Wilson when the trade was once going down to let him comprehend he would work as lead signal-caller in the fall.
Anointing Wilson QB1 would have made a whole lot more feel if the 12 months was 2014, now not 2024. Wilson does not deserve the luxury of being crowned starter before he tries a bypass in practice. Wilson, 35, and Fields, 25, have posted comparable stats the previous two seasons. In fact, Fields ranks greater than Wilson in ESPN’s Total QBR metric in that space, edging him out 51-to-44. Fields and Wilson have had similar combined passing and speeding ratings the past two years as well, with Wilson posting forty eight complete touchdowns and Fields 45
Where Fields and Wilson range extensively at this factor in their respective careers comes in their competencies as runners. While Wilson used to be once hazardous with his legs, he is tons greater pedestrian these days and has rushed for 618 yards with six touchdowns the past two years. In contrast, Fields is arguably the second-most electric quarterback running the football behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Fields has rushed for 1,800 yards with 12 dashing touchdowns over the final two seasons.
While Fields received the brunt of the blame in Chicago, stats indicate he wasn’t the hassle for the Bears. It’s worth pointing out that Fields ranks in uncommon territory in one outstanding area. Since 1970, only four quarterbacks have thrown for 5,000 yards and rushed for 1,500 yards in their first 30 NFL starts. Fields is one of them, with Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick and Jalen Hurts the other three.
Wilson will go down as one of the best quarterbacks of his era and he has a Super Bowl ring to prove it, but the past isn’t always continually prologue. Mike Tomlin need to be merchandising a fair-and-square quarterback opposition rather of handing Wilson the keys to Pittsburgh’s offense.
Even when diving into the analytics of the matter, the evidence is in Fields’ favor. Per CBS Sports records scientist Stephen Oh, Pittsburgh’s probabilities at making the playoffs are 25.6% with Wilson beginning and 35.9% with Fields at the helm.
While each Wilson and Fields current important enhancements over what the Steelers had a season ago in Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky, they need to get QB1 right at the start of the marketing campaign or they could dig themselves into a gap in the standings they can not crawl out of. The AFC North is relatively competitive, with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns all considered playoff contenders. If Pittsburgh wins the division, it will mean they picked the proper starting quarterback. And the correct preference may want to be Justin Fields, no longer Russell Wilson.
