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The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room has been a topic of conversation since the spring, and for the first five weeks of the season, Justin Fields has been the guy.
After two straight losses with Fields at the helm, however, some believe it could finally be time to turn the offense over to Russell Wilson. Unless, of course, Fields has impressed the Steelers enough to lock up the job long-term.
On October 7, Bleacher Report analyst Alex Ballentine called upon Pittsburgh to extend Fields for the 2025 campaign.
“Justin Fields is starting to make it clear that he needs to be brought back next season,” the NFL writer said. “Fields has his flaws, but he’s shown a good grasp of [Arthur] Smith’s offense, and Smith has seemingly figured out how to accentuate Fields’ strengths.”
Ballentine concluded that “it’s been a mutually beneficial partnership, and it would make sense for the Steelers to at least re-sign the quarterback on a one-year contract as the starter.”
Steelers & Dolphins Still Make Sense as QB Trade Partners
Within the same article, Ballentine also suggested that the Miami Dolphins trade for Wilson ahead of Week 6, further ending the Steelers’ quarterback controversy.
“The offense has looked completely helpless since Tua Tagovailoa left the lineup with the third documented concussion of his pro career,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, Tagovailoa’s timetable for return is still up in the air. Tagovailoa is on injured reserve and isn’t eligible to return until Week 8 at the earliest.”
Although the Dolphins managed to steal a win in Week 5, it was an ugly performance offensively. Ballentine seemed to recognize that when making this suggestion.
“The Dolphins are going to be hard-pressed to win games with Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson operating the offense,” the analyst continued. “Calling up the Steelers to see if they would be willing to deal Russell Wilson would be a wise move.”
Connecting the dots, Ballentine also noted that “Pittsburgh’s success with Justin Fields under center might push the Steelers to move on from the veteran.”
Steelers QB Justin Fields Gets Support Following Cowboys Loss
Ballentine wasn’t the only person backing Fields after the loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Ex-NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky doubled down on the current QB1 during the October 7 edition of “Get Up.”
“I would say that’s the wrong decision,” Orlovsky replied when asked what he’d think if Fields was replaced with Wilson in Week 6. “I would say that Pittsburgh has an offensive problem, and it is not the quarterback.”
“The offensive line is not very good, they’re not running the football nearly as well as I thought they would,” he explained. “There’s two or three clips where you want to see Justin [Fields’] eyes in a little bit of a better or more consistent place [but] there’s no one getting open that much for this offense.”
Orlovsky’s solution was to bring in a better wide receiver opposite George Pickens, which the Steelers could attempt this week if they pursue a trade for Davante Adams.
“They cannot beat man coverage [on third down],” Orlovsky made clear. “So, if you have to ask me what’s the fix for Pittsburgh’s offense, it is not the quarterback. It is, they need a pass-catcher opposite George Pickens to become a viable threat.”
Inside the Pittsburgh community, popular blog Steelers Depot also stood by Fields on X.
“I’m all for listening to a VERY compelling argument on why Russell Wilson should take over for Justin Fields other than change sake,” they said. “To me, however, feels like just different smell to the poop is outcome. Lose a lot of mobility aspect with[out] Fields.”
And finally, ESPN television personality and Steelers fan Stephen A. Smith called for a receiver addition on “First Take” — similar to Orlovsky. “Please get the quarterback some help,” he pleaded after a long rant on the subject.
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