The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very interesting situation coming up when it relates to the quarterback room. While Russell Wilson will most likely be the starting quarterback, Justin Fields will be breathing down his neck, waiting for his chance to take over. There are plenty of questions regarding who the better quarterback is, but if Fields does prove that he can be that guy, the question becomes : when should Fields take over for Wilson? The obvious answer would be the bye week, but will that be the case in 2024?
While making his normal appearance on NFL Live, Ryan Clark talked about the Steelers' upcoming season. Dan Graziano asked him about Steelers' win total, and he did not have too much faith in the team or the quarterback situation.
"This is difficult because I believe the [Steelers are] better...but I'm saying less [than ten wins] because of how daunting this schedule is toward the end of the season. That's normally when we've seen the Pittsburgh Steelers, who find a way [into] playoff contention every year, get wins, and find themselves in the playoffs as a wild card, but this year, I believe they'll be figuring out who they are early with Russell Wilson, then transitioning to Justin Fields around the bye week and trying to face these six division opponents along with the [Philadelphia] Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to finish, which will be difficult for any football team."
The Steelers' bye week is right in the middle of the season: Week 9. They get one "easy opponent" in Week 10 with the Washington Commanders, but after that, it's nothing but tough games, including two on short weeks. While the bye week is normally the time to make changes, that may not be the case for the Steelers in 2024.
Why Should Steelers Avoid Quarterback Change During Bye Week?
Facing divisional opponents, a Super Bowl champion, and a Super Bowl contender in consecutive weeks is hard enough on its own. It's even harder when you go from riding the bench to going against this absolute gauntlet almost immediately. Fields would get one week to prepare to be a starter, then one week against a team that's projected to not be great, then eight games of pure hell.
While there is no such thing as a true "easy game" in the NFL, the Steelers would be doing Fields a disservice if they make him go through a baptism through fire. The perfect scenario is that either Fields or Wilson would prove themselves as the starting quarterback immediately and keep that job for all 17 games, but it most likely won't be that easy for the Steelers.
No matter who gets the starting job and when the other quarterback takes the job (if it happens), this will be a challenging season for the Steelers in many ways. The Steelers will probably have to throw in different quarterbacks into different situations, whether it's because of injuries, poor play, or some other reason. 2024 will be the true test for many players and coaches throughout the season.
Even with the eight-game gauntlet at the end of the season, they have nine games to play before that. They still need to make sure they are focused and prepared for all nine games before they can really prepare for Week 11. If the Steelers do end up putting too much focus in those games, they'll enter the gauntlet with a true need to win most of those games. This is a terrible situation for the Steelers in many ways, but they usually find their way out of it, and they'll have to do it again, whether it's with Wilson, Fields, or both.
