Steelers Could Compromise Their Future By Not Starting Justin Fields In 2024

The Pittsburgh Steelers went from one quarterback controversy to another. They have been shocking everyone this offseason. First, they signed Super Bowl winner, Russell Wilson. Then, they traded Kenny Pickett after only two seasons. Finally, they traded for Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has already announced that Wilson will be the starter in 2024, but that is being hotly debated. 

It is easy to see both sides of the argument. Wilson has more experience than Fields and he knows what it takes to get a team to the Super Bowl (he's done it twice). Fields could sit behind Wilson and learn from a strong veteran, something he didn't get to do with the Bears. But Fields is a lot younger than Wilson and has the potential to stay with the Steelers for longer. He is also considered one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the league; Fields can hurt defenses in a variety of ways. 

Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark recently threw in his two cents on an episode of Get Up on ESPN. In their segment "Would K-Mart be shocked," the question was about Fields being the Week 1 starter. While his co-hosts are divided on the topic, Clark thinks that the team might be headed in the wrong direction with Fields.   

"If I'm the Pittsburgh Steelers, if I'm Omar Khan, I want Justin Fields to win the job! That's exactly what I want when I bring him into the building. I want to go in with an open competition, whether Russell Wilson was named the starter or not headed into training camp. I want Justin Fields to win because that gives me an opportunity to have a quarterback of the future, not a bridge guy, not a guy on the back end of his career, but a young, talented quarterback that needs the right pieces around him, who showed signs of being very good late last year," said a passionate Clark.

There are advantages to both players. Wilson obviously has experience that Fields doesn't. But that same time in the league takes a toll on the body and Wilson is not as mobile as he used to be. Wilson and Fields are evenly matched in one category and that is the number of times they were sacked in 2022, with 55. Wilson only played 15 games in 2023, but was sacked a whopping 45 times. 

The major concern about Fields is his accuracy. When you look at his stats, he has a lot of interceptions, 16 of them in the 2023 regular season. Wilson only had eight, and it's hard to imagine he would have caught up if he played those last two games. Fields needs an offensive line to protect him and he needs to get rid of the ball faster than he was in Chicago.   

The debate is likely to continue into the start of the season and we get a true sense of how well they can perform in Arthur Smith's offense. However, strong, mobile quarterbacks are Smith's favorite kind.

Steelers Need Help In The Middle

Regardless of which one of them starts, they will need a center to snap the ball. The Steelers offensive line has been slowly improving over the last few years. The addition of Mason Cole seemed to be a solid selection. He performed well enough in his first season with the team in 2022, but then struggled heavily in 2023, with Pro Football Focus scoring him at only 57.3. The team decided to move on from him at the end of the season, but now they have a major hole to fill. 

Fortunately, the 2024 NFL Draft is going to be one of the best for centers in a long time. There are predictions that a record three centers will be selected in the first round. With several solid quarterbacks and a few other generational-type talents on the board, the Steelers have a good shot at landing one with the 20th overall pick.  

They might even be able to draft Jackson Powers-Johnson out of Oregon. Powers-Johnson is widely considered the best center in this year's draft and the only center truly worthy of a first-round pick. Other centers such as Zach Frazier out of West Virginia who is bouncing back nicely from an injury, and Sedrick Van Pran from Georgia are also solid considerations. 

Who do you think should start - Fields or Wilson? Click to comment below. 

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