Steelers Should Absolutely Start Justin Fields In Week 1: "It'd Be Crazy Not To Go With [Him]"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still in the middle of a quarterback controversy with one preseason game left to go before decisions have to be made. Unfortunately, none of the teams' quarterbacks have done enough to just run away with the job. Justin Fields has all the talent in the world, but his lack of mechanics was on full display during both preseason games. On the other side, Russell Wilson is the veteran with more poise, but he is also on a hard decline after being traded away from the Seattle Seahawks. Who is truly the better option? 

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio made an appearance on 93.7 The Fan to talk about the team's quarterback controversy. To him, there is only one correct answer to this dilemma. 

Fields has all kinds of talent with his arms and legs, and he displayed them during the Steelers' preseason Week 2 loss against the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers' biggest highlight from that game was Fields escaping a sack like Ben Roethlisberger would, then hitting Dez Fitzpatrick on the sideline, barely getting the football past the defender. The defensive back in coverage even tipped it, but Fields put enough on the ball to still get it to his receiver. 

Can The Steelers Trust Fields As The Full-Time Starter?

During his time with the Chicago Bears, Fields didn't have the best numbers. The good news, however, is that his stats have gotten better with each passing season. In 2023, he had over 2,500 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions in just 13 games, with a 61.4% completion percentage. All of his stats in 2023 were either career highs, or just barely under that mark. If he can continue with that pace, especially on a better team, he could do even better.

Unfortunately, that's not as easy as it sounds. There is a lot more to football than stats and raw ability, and Fields has not shown some of those key traits that he needs to lead this team yet. He played for about a quarter in the Steelers' first preseason game, then he played the entire second half of the next game, along with some snaps to close out the first half. In those appearances, many pundits believe he has not shown enough to be crowned as the unquestioned leader of this team.

Fields regularly missed reads and had lots of trouble moving the ball against both opposing starters and backups. The offense only put up a total of three points throughout all of the drives where he was the quarterback. He has left the team with more questions than answers on what he can truly be, and that could lead to the team making the move that Florio thinks would be crazy. 

Even then, Fields still has a chance to win the spot. Wilson has not done much to help his case either, although the offense around them both has not done much to help overall. Everyone needs to get better for the Steelers to have full confidence in whoever they pick. Their upcoming game against the Detroit Lions will be the team's best chance to figure out who the starting quarterback is for Week 1.

Wilson is still recovering from a calf injury, so who knows when he will finally be 100% healthy. Would Wilson's veteran leadership and extensive experience be enough to win him the job over a younger player with all the talent in the world? How much would the injury come into play? The Steelers still have a lot to figure out, and Fields has one last chance to prove Florio right about how he has to lead this team starting in Week 1 of the 2024 season.

What do you think about Florio's take on the quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments.

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