The quarterback battle, if there ever truly was one, for the Pittsburgh Steelers has ended. On Wednesday, head coach Mike Tomlin officially named former Seahawks and Broncos quarterback, Russell Wilson, as the starter in the Steel City. Wilson beat out former Chicago Bears starter, Justin Fields, for the position. The Steelers acquired Fields this offseason in a trade. Now, he will be backing up Wilson.
Coach Tomlin has named Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/REWKkybpNo
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 28, 2024
Russell Wilson played limited snaps in the preseason this year. In his debut as a Steeler during Week 2, he looked rather pedestrian. In five drives he led, Pittsburgh scored all of zero points in the eventual 9-3 loss. During the Week 3 finale against the Detroit Lions, Wilson was out there for one series and attempted only two passes. He did complete both of them. His first pass was a loss of -6, and his second was for 32 yards, as he Steelers did ultimately find the end zone.
In the end, the limited action was apparently more than enough to land him the starting gig. However, I believe it is fair to assume Wilson’s leash will be rather short in Pittsburgh. Should he start to falter, like he did with the Broncos, Justin Fields will be waiting eagerly in the wings.
Wilson will look to get his career back on track after two disastrous, potentially slightly legacy altering, seasons in Denver. His first opportunity will come on September 8th when the Steelers travel to Atlanta to face the new-look Falcons.
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