Heading into the NFL offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers chose to shake things up, with an emphasis on the quarterback position, as it became apparent that Kenny Pickett wasn’t going to get it done under center for a perennial playoff team.
Ultimately, the Steelers chose to trade Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles and sign veteran Russell Wilson, who was released by the Denver Broncos after a disappointing stint in the Mile High City.
The addition of Wilson was thought to be a potential game-changer for Mike Tomlin and company in Pittsburgh, but the team didn’t stop there as they wanted some insurance behind the one-time Super Bowl champion and ended up making a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire Justin Fields.
Although many anticipated Wilson being the starter for Week 1, an injury kept him sidelined against the Atlanta Falcons, giving Fields a chance to shine in his debut with the Steelers.
Even though Fields wasn’t spectacular in his first game for Pittsburgh, he did enough to convince former NFL head coach Rex Ryan that he should be the starter moving forward via ESPN’s Get Up.
“Nothing against Russell Wilson because he’s not healthy right now. So the decision is simple. … If all of a sudden [Justin Fields] hits, you are looking at a superstar,” Ryan said.
"Nothing against Russell Wilson because he's not healthy right now. So the decision is simple. … If all of a sudden [Justin Fields] hits, you are looking at a superstar."
—Rex Ryan on the Steelers ? pic.twitter.com/R35qlfPYIV
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 9, 2024
With Wilson dealing with a tricky calf injury, which can turn out to be much worse if aggravated on the field, moving forward with Fields makes a lot of sense, especially since he already led the team to a win in Week 1 at the expense of the Falcons.
Fields is still rough around the edges and needs more time to develop, but he may have more upside at this point than the injured veteran, who is on the downside of his NFL career.
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