The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 4 as not only current kings of the AFC North, but as one of the top teams in the AFC as a whole. After defeating the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday 20-10, the team will prepare for their third road matchup in four games, as they take on the Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers may be dealing with some injury concerns, but certainly feel as though they are in a more secure position than other units throughout the league.
Early on this season, several teams have been decimated by injury. Though unfortunate, injury is a part of the game, and one of the factors as to why teams have 53 men available on their roster. There are some players and positions, however, that are simply too difficult to have contingency plans for. An injury to a starting quarterback, for example, is one of these instances. Like the Black and Gold observed when Ben Roethlisberger went down early in the 2019 season, losing a top signal-caller can derail an entire season if you don't act quickly.
In 2024, there are several teams that have already watched this exact situation unfold. Though teams like the Green Bay Packers are expecting to have Jordan Love back in the near future, other teams aren't as lucky. With Tua Tagovailoa placed on the injured list with another concussion, and backup Skylar Thompson out with injury himself, the Miami Dolphins find themselves free falling early on this season. Miami could react quickly and sign the likely best option available in free agency in Ryan Tannehill, but with his best football seemingly behind him, the team could look towards other rosters to acquire a stop gap for their problem.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, NFL Insider Adam Schefter believes the solution for Miami's quarterback problems could be in Pittsburgh.
"You still have to address the quarterback position before the season slips away. In my mind, they have to be making calls," explained Schefter. "There are three quarterbacks that make sense... I think I'd call Denver and say what do you want for Zach Wilson, I'd call Pittsburgh and say what do you want for Russell Wilson, I'd call Cleveland and say what do you want for Dorian Thompson-Robinson."
The Steelers appear content to run with Justin Fields, who has led the team to its first 3-0 start since 2020. Fields has looked far from an elite player, but has shown plenty of growth in running an effective offensive attack. Pittsburgh also has another quality backup on the roster in Kyle Allen, but thanks to his availability early this season, makes him an ideal candidate to remain a permanent backup. This could open up the door to move on from Russell Wilson, who has yet to see action during the regular season due to his lingering calf injury. Wilson does have a no-trade clause in his contract, but to move on would make sense for the Steelers and to make a small return on an investment that ends at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Steelers' Low Risk-High Reward Acquisitions Are About To Pay Off
Entering the season, the Steelers made several key acquisitions at the quarterback position, in signing both Fields and Wilson. The hope was to find a player to lead the team into the future, while not giving up any substantial money or draft capital. It appears after three weeks, the team's gamble has paid off and may in fact be beneficial in the end.
Pittsburgh has seemingly found its franchise guy in Fields, who only continues to look stronger under center. This would mean that the compensation returned to the Chicago Bears would move from a sixth round pick to a fourth round pick, as Fields would be on pace to play over 51% of the offensive snaps this season. It would also make players like Wilson and Allen available via trade, should General Manager Omar Khan look to take advantage of a weak market. Khan may be looking to play it safe and keep everyone on the roster as insurance for injury himself, but should an offer he can't refuse surface, why not move on from one of two players on one-year contracts? It will ultimately be up to Wilson whether or not to waive his no-trade clause, but with the window of a starting opportunity seemingly closed in Pittsburgh, he could look for yet another fresh start this season.
