When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for former Chicago Bears starting quarterback Justin Fields earlier this month, many expected that Fields would compete with Russell Wilson for the starting quarterback spot and would have a good chance of winning it. While that may be true, it’s pretty clear he’s behind Wilson right now.
During a recent interview with Brooke Pryor of ESPN at the NFL league meetings, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made it quite clear that Russell Wilson is ahead of Justin Fields in the current pecking order at quarterback, saying that Wilson has the “pole position” as the team’s top quarterback.
For now, it sounds like the plan is simply for Fields to learn from Wilson, not compete with him for the starting spot.
Tomlin, who said he's been "transparent in the pecking order" :
"[Wilson's] just got a lot of experience in terms of what it takes to be the guy over the course of a 12-month calendar and I just think that that's something that a younger guy like Justin could learn from." https://t.co/4kfCacbZPA
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) March 24, 2024
“[Wilson’s] just got a lot of experience in terms of what it takes to be the guy over the course of a 12-month calendar and I just think that that’s something that a younger guy like Justin could learn from,” Tomlin said according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com.
Obviously, if Wilson does not perform well in practice or in games, there’s a chance that the Steelers could decide to start Fields instead. But it sounds like the starting job is Wilson’s to lose.
