The Pittsburgh Steelers “plan to have Justin Fields start the next two games” according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Gerry Dulac.
That would mean Fields will start Sunday in Denver against the Broncos, as expected, but he will also lead the offense for the Week 3 home opener versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Per Dulac, this cautious approach is so that veteran starter Russell Wilson is able to continue to rest his injured calf, “so it doesn’t morph into something worse.”
Of course, as Dulac pointed out, this gameplan would open the door for more quarterback drama in Pittsburgh.
“By that time, especially if the Steelers are 3-0 with Fields as their quarterback, the gossip, conjecture and narrative will increase to royal-tabloid measures,” the Post-Gazette insider predicted, joking that “the Steelers quarterback room certainly gets its share of airtime with the national media.”
Justin Fields Just Wants to Lead the Steelers to Wins During His Time as Starting QB
While addressing the media on Thursday, September 12, Fields remained humble — as he’s been throughout this entire process.
“It’s very important,” Fields responded when asked how “important” it is to take advantage of his time as the starter. “More important for the team than for me.”
“I have a job and that’s to lead us to a win each and every week,” the current QB1 went on. “So, we can have this debate on who’s the starter, who’s not the starter, but my main job is to go out there and help my team win the game. As long as I do that, I feel good.”
Earlier, Fields also talked about how the offense can improve in Week 2.
“I think there’s a lot of stuff, I think us as an offense, I think there’s a bunch of stuff to clean up,” he told reporters. “Me just being more accurate on my checkdowns so guys like Najee [Harris] and Jaylen [Warren] can catch the ball and get busy downfield… But I think there’s just a bunch of stuff we can clean up. Minor things.”
Fields did add that the “biggest thing” to correct is scoring more touchdowns and punching the ball into the end zone at the tail end of drives.
Russell Wilson’s Injury Prevents Steelers From Getting Involved in Dolphins’ Trade Conversations
If you’re a Fields fan, Dulac’s update is great news as he’ll get a lengthy audition as he attempts to impress head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
The only downside is that the Steelers could be missing out on a trade opportunity. Tua Tagovailoa’s latest head injury shook the NFL community on September 12, and it also created a domino effect of possibilities around the league.
Tagovailoa is expected to miss an extended period of time after suffering his third diagnosed concussion. Some even believe he should retire altogether — although Tagovailoa has yet to comment on that subject himself.
Either way, the win-now Miami Dolphins roster is without an established quarterback, and the Steelers just so happen to have three of them. Unfortunately, they’ll need all three until Wilson returns from injury.
Fields is the current starter, and even if he wasn’t, there’s a chance that Pittsburgh is still interested in investing in the 25-year-old long-term. Then there’s Wilson, who’d make a lot of sense as a trade candidate if he were actually healthy.
But why would Miami trade for a 35-year-old signal-caller who could be one wrong step away from a serious calf or Achilles injury?
Finally, if Fields and Wilson were both healthy enough to play, the Steelers could even offer up Kyle Allen to compete with Skylar Thompson for the role in Miami. It’s easy to forget that Allen has started 19 games over the course of his six-year career.
During that time, he’s thrown for a completion percentage of 62.6 and a passer rating of 82.2. Both key metrics would be an improvement on Thompson, who’s thrown for a 57.1 completion percentage and a 63.5 passer rating in eight career regular season appearances (two starts).
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Steelers ‘Plan to’ Start Justin Fields Beyond Week 2: Insider