Ever since signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields, Mike Tomlin hasn’t hidden who he wants to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback. Yet, getting the 35-year-old former Super Bowl winner on the field hasn’t been easy.
Wilson missed the first game with a calf injury, and he’s poised to miss the Steelers’ Week 2 game too. Meanwhile, Fields performed well in Wilson’s absence, leading Pittsburgh to an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Now, the dual-threat weapon gets another chance to impress against the Denver Broncos.
But how long will this ruse go on? Can Fields win the starting QB job in Pittsburgh, or is he simply a placeholder until the nine-time Pro Bowl QB returns?
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Justin Fields expected to start in Week 3 too
How long will Justin Fields be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback? According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Fields will also be in the starting lineup for Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Steelers want to continue starting Fields until Wilson returns to 100%, preventing his calf injury from “morphing into something else.” With Denver up next, then Los Angeles, if the Steelers emerge with a winning record, along with Fields playing well, he might just keep the job until or unless he proves incapable of leading a competitive team.
At this point, the Steelers’ starting quarterback job appears to be Fields’ to lose. Considering that Mike Tomlin has never had a losing record in his 17-year coaching career, whoever gives Pittsburgh the best chance to win will undoubtedly earn the starting job full-time.
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