NFL.com predicts Steelers QBs Russell Wilson, Justin Fields will be worse in 2024

The offense the Steelers are guaranteed to put on the field this season will be shiny and new. It’ll have a new coordinator with quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. But will it be better?

The starting quarterback has not been decided, as yet, although Steelers coach Mike Tomlin describes Wilson as being in the “pole position” for QB1. With mini camp and the NFL Draft approaching, anticipation is pretty high. Plus, Pittsburgh hired Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, to be in charge of the offense.

Then comes NFL.com and writer Kevin Patra, who wants to be such a Steelers buzz kill. This week, he wrote a story with the headline Projecting performances of quarterbacks who changed teams. And there were a number of quarterbacks who flipped teams including Kirk Cousins and Gardner Minshew, plus the new Steelers QB and the former guy, Kenny Pickett, who now resides across the state in Philadelphia. He’ll be Jalen Hurts‘ backup.

Patra predicts the seasons of both Wilson and Fields will be “worse.” Oh, the horrors of it all for the fans in black and gold who would prefer a nice, dominating offense.

Writer says Wilson still can be productive QB for Steelers

Here’s what he said on Wilson, who signed with Pittsburgh after two seasons with the Broncos. The phrase that sticks out says the quarterback, at 35, now is closer to a “top-shelf line cook” than a “five-star chef.” (But aren’t cheeseburgers just as tasty as that fancy stuff?)

Wilson wasn’t the sole reason Denver’s offense was a rickety operation last season, but he never did seem comfortable under Sean Payton. While he performed better in 2023 than in the disastrous 2022 campaign, Wilson still played skittish, missed throws and invited pressure, blowing reads far more than a signal-caller of his experience should. I think Arthur Smith’s offense should better match Wilson’s skill set. Perhaps getting jettisoned by the Broncos will force Wilson to admit he’s closer to a top-shelf line cook than a five-star chef.

He can still be a productive QB if he plays within the offense. However, my projection is that, even if he wins the starting gig out of training camp, I don’t believe he fends off Justin Fields for an entire season. Nothing Wilson has shown us over the past several seasons suggests he won’t stumble at some point throughout the process. At that point, I’m of the belief that Fields will be too enticing an option for Mike Tomlin to pass up.

Maybe Fields ends up as Pittsburgh QB king

Then there’s this assessment of Fields, the former Ohio State star and first-rounder from 2021. He started three seasons with the Bears. Might be the starter for the Steelers? You’ll have to wait and see.

Again, my assumption here is that the Steelers start the season with Wilson under center and then, at the first sign of trouble, swap in the youngster with greater upside. If Pittsburgh holds a true competition before the season and Fields wins, that changes the dynamic. In that case, his numbers could jump in 2024. I like Fields’ fit in coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense; we could have a situation brewing here that is similar to Ryan Tannehill‘s rebirth with the Titans in 2019. Fields displayed improvement in each season in Chicago despite less-than-ideal surroundings. Is he the perfect QB? No. But he owns explosive arm talent and dual-threat ability, and he improved his pocket passing. I think Pittsburgh will give the edge to the veteran (Wilson) out of camp, but for my money, Fields offers the Steelers a better chance to open up the offense in 2024.  

So it would seem that the stats for Wilson and Fields each will be worse simply because they might not be playing as many games for the Steelers with an on-going quarterback competition.