When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson this offseason, it was widely assumed that he would be the team’s starting quarterback this upcoming season, even after the team also brought in former Chicago Bears starter Justin Fields. But a recent development has put Wilson in a pretty horrible situation in that regard.
As Dan Graziano of ESPN explains, Russell Wilson was the leader in the competition heading into training camp, but a calf injury caused him to miss the first two days of training camp, allowing Justin Fields to get some reps with the first-team offense and show what he can do.
“This is no small development, especially considering training camp is probably the time of year that offers Fields the best chance to showcase the things he can do that could help him make up ground on Wilson. Fields is one of the most explosive runners in the league at the quarterback position, leading all signal-callers in rushing yards over the past two seasons (1,800). And while the 35-year-old Wilson can still get out on the move and make plays, he doesn’t offer what Fields does in that area,” Graziano wrote this week.
Graziano goes on to cite conversations that lead him to believe the quarterback battle is much closer than people seem to think it is.
“It’s easy to listen to the chatter around this situation and just assume Wilson has it all sewed up, but after visiting Steelers camp and talking to people there, I am not so sure. Pittsburgh isn’t financially committed to either guy in any significant way. The coaching staff has no prior attachment to either and no preconceived notions about either. In that way, this is a unique quarterback competition that could absolutely still go either way — especially if Wilson misses more practice time and Fields gets a better chance than expected to close the race,” Graziano wrote.
Graziano went as far as to predict that Fields – not Wilson – will be the team’s starting quarterback in Week 1.
We’ll have to see what happens, but this does not seem like a great situation for Wilson.
[ESPN]
About Kevin Harrish