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The Pittsburgh Steelers have a QB battle on their hands. Pittsburgh gave up on the Kenny Pickett experiment this offseason and brought in both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to compete for the starting job. Wilson is expected to win the starting job for Week 1, with the expectation that Fields will continue to push him for starting time. One Steelers legend is skeptical of Justin Fields after commenting on Fields' viral workout video.
A recent social media post shows social media figure RouteGod running routes and catching passes from Steelers' QB Justin Fields. The video has made the rounds on social media because it looks like many of Fields' passes are arriving late.
Pittsburgh Steelers' legend Le'Veon Bell took to social media to comment on the videos. Bell reposted the video and added some commentary of his own. “That ball gettin there lateeeee…,” Bell wrote, “I know it's routes on air, but this is telling you a lot.”
This video of #Steelers QB Justin Fields throwing to the Route God has fans worried as all his passes appear to be late 🤔pic.twitter.com/e1JTpw3QzG https://t.co/L0dNNoLgGQ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 19, 2024
How concerned should Steelers fans be about this video?
My gut reaction is to not react too strongly to this video. First, it is a small sample size. Drawing any sweeping conclusion for a very short video, without any further context, is definitely not the right move. Fields is also throwing to someone who he just met, so it is pretty unrealistic to assume that they will have instant chemistry with one another.
That being said, it is still a little bit concerning. Fields is essentially playing pitch and catch in the video and he is still managing to get the ball to his receiver too late. This situation won't improve once he gets into pads and is playing against an NFL-caliber defense.
Can Justin Fields beat out Russell Wilson for the Steelers' starting QB job?
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This begs to question: is Justin Fields capable of beating Russell Wilson for the Steelers' starting QB job?
Let's start with the situation. Before any football has been played, Fields is facing a tough uphill climb to win the starting job.
The Steelers' coaching staff have consistently said that Russell Wilson is the favorite to start Week 1. However, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is not ready to hand out the starting job without an actual competition.
“Russ is in the pole position,” Smith said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “It's a competition. Obviously, we get to Latrobe, I'm sure things will heat up, but both those guys knew that, however they were acquired, and they got here and I think it's been pretty transparent.”
Realistically, this whole competition is more about Wilson than it is about Fields. The most realistic path for Fields starting regular season games for Pittsburgh in 2024 is a Russell Wilson injury. Or a situation where Wilson's ability to play QB completely falls off a cliff, leaving the Steelers with Fields as their only option.
This isn't to say that Justin Fields would be completely incapable of being a competent starter if given the chance. He's already proven enough in Chicago that he can get the job done. The question is consistency — which makes the veteran Russell Wilson all the more appealing for Pittsburgh's coaching staff.
It will be interesting to watch this QB battle further during training camp and in the preseason.
