Mandatory minicamp hasn’t even started, but one of the biggest national talking points around the Pittsburgh Steelers already is when quarterback Justin Fields could replace Russell Wilson as the team’s starting quarterback.
The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly didn’t rule out Fields eventually starting in 2024. But he emphatically claimed that it won’t be in Week 1.
While appearing on 97.1 The Fan on May 30, Kaboly argued Fields has “zero” chance beating out Wilson for the starting job before the start of the regular season.
“I just don’t think there’s enough time for that. You bring a guy in, you teach him an offense. You are trying to get Russell Wilson ready. I’m not worried about Justin Fields coming in here and trying to battle this guy,” Kaboly said. “I don’t think there’s enough time for him to show what he can do to beat him out.
“They want Russell Wilson in here for a reason, and it’s more than just being a quarterback. It’s being a leader.”
Pundits questioned Wilson’s leadership during his 2-year stint with the Denver Broncos. But Wilson has spent 12 years in the NFL and earned eight postseason trips. He also led the Seattle Seahawks to a championship and another Super Bowl appearance.
Fields has three years of starting experience. But although very talented, he didn’t have a lot of success with the Chicago Bears.
Mark Kaboly Compares Justin Fields to Ben Roethlisberger, Mark Malone
Inconsistency plagued Fields’ tenure with the Bears. His highlight reel was one of the best in the league, but he also had a lot of low points.
Those low points were often major mistakes. Fields threw 30 interceptions, fumbled 38 times and took 135 sacks in 40 games in Chicago.
The Steelers aren’t wearing pads yet in offseason workouts. But Kaboly implied Fields’ early tenure with the Steelers looks a lot like it did with the Bears.
“Sometimes he looks like Ben Roethlisberger out there, and sometimes he looks like Mark Malone out there,” Kaboly said. “He needs some more work to be done. You can see the talent. He’s easily the most athletic guy out there. He just makes people look like fools in this setting.
“But, you’ve got to be consistent, and that’s what the issue was in Chicago.”
Steelers don’t need to be reminded about how talented Ben Roethlisberger was. The two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback is fifth all time in passing yards and eighth in passing touchdowns.
Only older Steelers fans, though, may remember Mark Malone. Malone replaced a retired Terry Bradshaw and led Pittsburgh to the 1984-85 AFC championship game. But over the next three seasons, he never posted another winning record and struggled to record a completion percentage much above 50%.
In 1987, Malone threw 6 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in 12 games.
Fields doesn’t have to be a Hall of Fame quarterback to be successful. But he does need to eliminate when he makes a play one of the worst signal callers in the league would make.
Could Fields Be the Next Taysom Hill?
There’s been a lot of chatter around Fields over the past month. Most notably, running back Jaylen Warren suggested Fields could return kickoffs on Pittsburgh’s special teams unit.
The quarterback laughed off that idea. But a new possibility has surfaced. Could the Steelers use Fields in a Taysom Hill-type role where he isn’t Roethlisberger or Malone, but the next Kordell Stewart?
Wilson liked the idea.
“Justin is obviously one of the most talented guys in the NFL,” Wilson told reporters at OTAs, via TribLive.com’s Tim Benz. “You know all the things he can do. The player, the quarterback that he is. He’s dynamic. It’s all about us winning. That’s the focus.
“I think it would strike fear in some defenses, that’s for sure.”
Fields said that the team has yet to establish any a package in practice where he is used in a Hill-type role. But the quarterback isn’t against the concept.
“When my name is called, I’ll be ready,” said Fields.
“In whatever capacity.”
