A reporter explains why Russell Wilson leads Justin Fields in the Steelers’ quarterback competition.
In a recent interview with Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan, Mark Kaboly, a reporter for The Athletic covering the Pittsburgh Steelers, discussed why he believes Justin Fields is trailing Russell Wilson in the quarterback competition, which may already be gone.
About Fields, Kaboly remarked, “I mean, extremely athletic, extremely quick out of the pocket,” according to information obtained by Steelers Depot’s Adam Miller. “He was capable of making some incredible throws that left you thinking, “Wow, that’s really great…Then all of a sudden you see one, and he underthrows it or overshoots it by thirty yards. “What’s going on here, you ask?”
According to almost every testimony from fans who followed the Steelers from obligatory minicamp to organized team activities, Wilson was the squad’s “undisputed leader” and the clear favorite to win. Fields, who is 25 years old and still maturing as an NFL quarterback, appeared to be a work in progress in contrast.
“It’s just gonna take time to coach him up and get him more comfortable with the mechanics of the whole thing,” Kaboly stated regarding Fields. That’s the purpose of this break. That is the purpose of this training camp. This preseason is intended to test his ability to make adjustments and become more reliable. Then he has a good chance of being this team’s quarterback.”
For what it’s worth, prior to this past weekend, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who covers Steelers beat coverage, stated on 93.7 The Fan that fans shouldn’t “make it a big deal” that Fields had accuracy problems during spring workouts following his trade from the Chicago Bears in March.
Fittipaldo went on during that part to say, “I think you have to remember, number one, [Fields is] coming in, he’s with a new team, he’s with a new [offensive coordinator], he’s with a new quarterbacks coach,” as reported by Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot. “They’re presumably attempting to make a few tweaks to his game before putting him out there in July. That seems like that could be one part of it.
That’s all well and good, but Wilson was signed by the Steelers to a team-friendly contract with the hopes that, following Pittsburgh’s 2023 campaign in which the team posted a 10-7 regular-season record and qualified for the playoffs, he would prove to be an upgrade at the position.
Fields and Wilson are not assured a berth on the Steelers roster beyond the current campaign. Fields appears to be on schedule to be on the sidelines for Pittsburgh’s Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on September 8.
Leave a Reply