Where do we go from here? The QB Controversy in Pittsburgh

With seven games remaining in the Steelers regular season, the question of which quarterback to stick with, Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, hangs heavy over fans.

Cole Szramowski is a student at Pennsylvania Western University and a community partner with Wheeling Free Press.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate a week 11 win over their longtime rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, one question sticks in the mind of fans everywhere: who is the starting quarterback going forward? Will it be Justin Fields, who led the team to a 4-2 record through the first six games, or Russell Wilson, who has been 4-0 since taking over? Wilson missed the first six games with a calf injury after initially being named the opening day starter, upsetting many fans who had seen what Justin Fields was capable of over the first few weeks. However, many changed their minds after Wilson threw for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns in the week seven matchup against the New York Jets and then threw for 278 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants in week eight. Now, every fan is speculating who will potentially close out the year and play through a possible playoff run.

Both men provide something very different to the team. Wilson, at the age of 35, is the classic idea of a quarterback. He’s a pocket passer with a big arm and enough mobility to keep himself from being sacked. He provides the downfield passing game that the Steelers have been missing since the prime days of Ben Roethlisberger, already forming a connection with star receiver George Pickens who racked up 355 receiving yards and his only two touchdowns of the season in the games Wilson has played. Wilson has provided a new sense of stability to the offense that fans have been clamoring for and has absolutely showed out for Pittsburgh so far. However, he lacks the athleticism to extend broken plays, something the Steelers desperately need with their offensive line being one of the worst in the league. He is often too still in the pocket, leading to being pressured by the defense on 28% of plays and a lot of incomplete passes. He’s also been very inefficient in the red zone, within 20 yards of the end zone, with the Steelers being 28 out of 32 in red zone scoring percentage under Wilson.

Meanwhile, Fields is an agile play-extender, someone who can pick up extra yardage by scrambling both behind and in front of the line of scrimmage. He can roll out to his right to find a better angle to get his receivers the ball or run downfield to pick up yardage. His 231 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground are among the best for rushing quarterbacks, comparable to Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts. He also provides a cushion for running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren with the defense forced to respect Field’s ability to keep the ball and take off, improving the run game exponentially from where it was with the quarterbacks Pittsburgh has had for the past few years. His athleticism also makes him a very valuable weapon in the red zone with the Steelers being in the top half of red zone teams under Fields. However, there is one problem with Fields that has stuck since his time at Ohio State — he can’t throw the ball that well. He lacks the arm strength and accuracy to consistently throw the ball downfield, so they schemed him to throw the ball short. He averaged only 7.5 yards in the air per attempt and 3.5 per completion, this makes it harder for receivers to gain and keep separation and has kept the Steelers from making big plays and becoming a well-rounded offense.

So who should they stick with? That’s a very complicated question. It entirely depends on head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s visions on how they want the offense to look. If they want big play potential and more downfield passing then Wilson is the easy choice. If they want the “old school, pound the rock” run heavy offense then Fields seems like the obvious choice. Another factor is both men’s age and status within the league. Wilson is 35-years-old now, but in his younger days was an elite quarterback, winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks and consistently finishing near the top of the NFL in most passing categories. He’s incredibly well respected within the league as a veteran and has years of experience running an NFL offense. However, he’s coming off a horrible stint in Denver where he was released only two years into his 5 year, $245 million contract due to poor performance. Fields is just 25-years-old, but he has already lost a lot of the hype he had coming into the league due to a disastrous three-year stint with the Chicago Bears. He’s already had the “draft bust” label on him and a lot of teams would be weary to let him run the offense.

The question of who the QB for the rest of the season and into next season will be is looming heavily over Steelers fans right now with two strong candidates who both have something to prove. With 7 games remaining, we will see what happen. Either way, having two starting caliber quarterbacks who have both proven they can lead the team to wins is a pretty good problem to have.