One NFL insider believes there is a path for Justin Fields to hold on to the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback job. However, he would need certain elements that are out of his control to fall perfectly into place.
While it wasn’t necessarrily pretty and the Steelers offense didn’t load up the NFL stats sheet, the unit helped get the team a win in Week 1. One man that played a key role in their 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons was Justin Fields.
Also Read: Where do the Steelers land in our latest NFL offense rankings?
At the end of training camp, Russell Wilson was announced as the team’s starting QB for Week 1. However a calf injury sidelined him on Sunday. And there is a chance he could also miss there game in Denver against the Broncos his weekend. For those that rather see Fields keep the job it is good news.
On a live stream on Wednesday, Bleacher Report NFL insider James Palmer explained what he thinks needs to happen for Fields to hold on to the job. And while it won’t be easy, it is far from impossible.
Justin Fields stats (Week 1): 213 total yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 91.9 passer rating,
“If this lasts only this week I think they go back to Russell Wilson after this Denver game,”Palmer said. “Unless Fields plays ungodly [well]; it just doesn’t happen in Pittsburgh where a player loses their job due to injury. Especially at the quarterback spot.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen. But if this continues to linger and Justin Fields snowballs into this great performer they are not going to pull him. If it’s just this Denver game, and Wilson is in a better spot than a week ago you would think Wilson comes back. But I think it’s a much shorter leash than if you would have just started the season [with Wilson].”
So, in short Wilson will keep his job but has a much shorter leash if he returns in Week 3. But, if he ends up missing four or five games and the Steelers are winning, there is a very good chance Pittsburgh sticks with the younger talent instead of showing loyalty to the future Hall-of-Famer.
Also Read: Pittsburgh Steelers game today – Get watch time and channel for this week’s Steelers game