The Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-2 and tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North. Going into this season, there was a great deal of optimism surrounding the team as they had completely rehauled the quarterback position. They signed Russell Wilson after he was released by the Denver Broncos and then traded a sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields.
Additionally, head coach Mike Tomlin hired Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator with the hopes that he would breathe new life into what had been a stagnant unit.
While the Steelers do rank in the bottom half of most offensive stats this season, there can be no denying that the offense is better than it has been in years. To the surprise of many, this is due to the play of Fields and not Wilson.
Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Justin Fields Has Been Playing Well
When offseason activities began, many expected that it would be Wilson, the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who would be the Steelers’ starter in 2024. After all, he has a long history of success in the NFL and a Super Bowl win.
Fields, meanwhile, is/was considered a first-round bust in Chicago, never winning more than five games in a single season. Learning from Wilson, many believed, would do him some good.
But Wilson has been battling a calf injury for months, an ailment that has forced him to remain inactive for the season thus far. Pittsburgh has achieved its 4-2 record with Fields as their starter.
And he’s been playing well.
So far in 2024, Fields has a career-best 66.3% completion percentage and 1,106 passing yards. While he only has five touchdown passes, he also has thrown just one interception. His 93.9 passer rating through six games is also the highest in his career.
Of course, Fields is known as a mobile quarterback who can affect games with his running abilities. So far, he has 231 rushing yards and has run for five touchdowns. Prior to this year, the most rushing touchdowns Fields had in a season was eight. His five this season are already the second-most he has had in a single year.
In other words, Fields is having the best season of his career and the Steelers are winning.
But Wilson just got healthy, and it sounds like Pittsburgh is going to bench Fields.
Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Justin Fields Has Inspirational Reaction to Possibly Being Benched
On Wednesday, it was reported that Wilson is off of the Steelers’ injury report. What is more, he also took Fields’ place taking the first team reps at practice.
By all indications, Wilson will start on Sunday night.
Many fans and analysts believe this is going to be a mistake. After all, Fields has been playing so well and the team is having success with him as their starter.
But amidst others clamoring for him to keep the starting job, Fields posted the following message on his Instagram: “Your “normal” day is someone else’s dream, so be thankful everyday.”
While it cannot be easy to play well and still get demoted, Fields is keeping his eye on the bigger picture. As shown earlier, he is playing well this year. If the Steelers will not let him start, there are plenty of quarterback needy teams would love to have him once he hits the free agent market.
