The Pittsburgh Steelers somehow managed to land both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields during the first week of free agency. Pittsburgh has completely revamped their quarterback room and will go forward with a nine-time Pro Bowler and a former first-round pick with untapped potential.
Fields has reportedly been told by the Steelers that Wilson is their starting quarterback, so there will be no position battle between the two. (Satuerday morning, NFL Media reported that Mike Tomlin personally told Wilson that he's the starter.) But is Wilson really the better option?
Fields, not Wilson, gives the Steelers the best chance to win in 2024, according to CBS Sports data scientist Stephen Oh. According to Oh, the Steelers' chances at making the playoffs rose from 25.6% with Wilson starting to 35.9% with Fields under center.
While Oh feels that Fields is the answer, let's go through several other categories to determine who should be the Steelers' starting quarterback in 2024.
Experience
Wilson has a clear edge here. His 204 career starts are more than five times the amount of games Fields has started in the NFL. Wilson has 124 wins under his belt and nearly as many playoff wins (nine) as Fields has in career regular reasons wins (10).
Experience buys you a lot of advantages in the NFL. Wilson has seen pretty much everything a quarterback can see on a football field. He's had experience running several different offenses, which should help him get adjusted to yet another new one in 2024.
Wilson also has a keen understanding of the ebbs and flows of an NFL season. Having a veteran who can provide perspective and a level head is never a bad thing to have on your side.
Advantage: Wilson
Upside
This is a no-brainer. Sure, Wilson is expecting to perform better than he did in Denver. But overall, we largely know what we're getting from Wilson at this stage of his career.
Wilson can still run, but he isn't the threat he once was with his legs. And as he gets older, he will only get less mobile. The big question is how well can he move in the pocket while avoiding pass rushers. For now, Wilson appears to still have that part of his game.
As far as throwing the ball, Wilson is still accurate. He's also still good at taking care of the ball. Surprisingly, there hasn't been a drop in Wilson's deep-ball accuracy, either.
A big concern with Wilson is the amount of times he's been hit. He was sacked a league-high 55 times in 2022 and was taken down 45 times in 15 games last season. Wilson is already the fourth-most sacked quarterback in NFL history. Those hits will take their toll at some point, if they haven't started to already.
Ironically, Wilson and Fields tied for the league lead in the amount of times sacked in 2022. Fields has also taken his share of hits, but at 25 years old, he has a lot more tread on his tires.
Accuracy is a concern for Fields. He completed a career-high 61.4% of his passes last season, but that's still a low percentage by today's standards. Some of that could be the pass rush he has constantly faced in Chicago and the offenses he's played in. But it's still a concern nonetheless. Fields also needs to learn to get rid of the ball faster; that's one of the reasons why he was sacked so much in Chicago.
Like Wilson, Fields has a strong arm and isn't afraid to use it. He's also good when it comes to taking care of the ball. Fields' running, however, is vastly different from Wilson at this point in time. In 2022, Fields had the second-greatest rushing season by a quarterback in NFL history. His mobility makes him extremely dangerous.
Advantage: Fields
Overall ability
As noted above, Wilson is the more accurate quarterback and is still capable of winning games as a starting quarterback. But Fields is vastly more mobile and is capable of making more big plays with his ability to extend plays. Fields is the more durable player, too, largely because of his age and the amount of hits Wilson has already taken.
Advantage: Fields
Intangibles
Wilson's leadership was called into question in both Seattle and Denver. Without being in either locker room, I think it's still fair to say that Wilson isn't for everyone. Some may gravitate toward his style of leadership, while others might be turned off by it.
It appears that Wilson is already fitting in quite nicely in Pittsburgh. Wilson was openly recruited by T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick when he was going through his options. He had dinner with several current and former players the night before he officially signed with the team. The morning before he signed, Wilson worked out with several of his new teammates at the team facility.
Is winning games an intangible skill? If so, Wilson has an edge here. But I personally think it depends on the person. Fields proved he's a winner during his time at Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to a win over Clemson in the College Football Playoff despite suffering a painful injury to his midsection during the game. Nothing endears a player more to his teammates than one that is willing to play injured.
Advantage: Wilson
Fit on 2024 Steelers
Let's say this was the 49ers, a roster that already has established stars on offense like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel. If this was the case in Pittsburgh, I'd pick Fields to start over Wilson. But the Steelers' offense, while good, doesn't have the talent or continuity that the 49ers have.
Fields is coming from a situation with the Bears that was nothing short of a mess. The team never built a complete offense around him. The situation in Pittsburgh may be better, it's still going to take a while for him to get comfortable playing inside a new offense with new teammates.
It won't be a walk in the park for Wilson, either, but he should be more equipped to handle the change. He's played in different offenses over the course of his career and has had to adjust to changing teammates numerous times.
More so, the Steelers need an offensive leader with championship cache. Wilson's strength in this area was surely a reason why Pittsburgh wanted him. The Steelers are eager to get back to a Super Bowl, and in Wilson, they have a quarterback who knows how to get there.
Advantage: Wilson
Verdict
So, there you have it. It's close, but Wilson is the better option for the Steelers, at least at the start of the season. How well Wilson plays, and how well Fields does adapting to his new environment, will determine if things stay that way.
