The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a problematic situation regarding who should be their starting quarterback for 2025. If you had asked anyone around the beginning of December who they thought it would be, you'd have almost unanimously heard Russell Wilson, whether they liked that idea or not. Wilson picked up where Justin Fields left off and helped the team get off to a 10-3 start.
Wilson seemed almost like his old self; he displayed leadership the team was sorely lacking and put points on the board. It allowed the Steelers' defense to do what it does best: take the ball from the opponents, and all was right in the world. Then everything fell apart, and the team lost its final five games of the season, including a Wild Card matchup.
That suddenly took Wilson from being a sure thing to a hard pass, and fans, as well as much of the media, reverted to praising Fields. However, he isn't the only name being thrown about. Aaron Rodgers, Trevor Lawrence and Matthew Stafford have also been named. When players like Stafford come up, those who would require substantial capital, people immediately like to argue that it's not normal for the Steelers to make an aggressive move meaning.
Dave Dameshek doesn't believe that and told Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on 102.5 WDVE that he thinks people who argue that are wrong. Show host Randy Baumann told the Dameshek that Fields is the most logical of all the names floated. He added that the Steelers have too many needs to expend draft capital on a better quarterback like Stafford. He said the Steelers just don't take those kinds of leaps of faith, which led Dameshek to disagree.
"I don't know what value it has in the conversation if what the fans think has any impact, I think it has very little," Dameshek said. "The notion that people love to announce in the media and otherwise is like, 'The Steelers would never do something like that.' Well, have you paid attention to the last 15 or so years? If you start the clock around the time of Ryan Shazier, the Steelers have shown as an organization, they are willing to do things that would have been defined as un-Steelery 25 years ago. The idea that people throw up that the Steelers would never do something like that, of course, they would do something. The question is who out there is worth doing it for."
Dameshek said, however, that perhaps the team is more cautious after how badly the Devin Bush deal ended. Bush wasn't an immediate bust after the Steelers moved up to select him 10th over in the draft, though. His rookie season was by far his best, with 109 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
His second season began with high expectations, but unfortunately, he tore his ACL during a Week 6 game and missed the rest of the season. When he returned, he was never quite the same. It is impossible to know if he never fully recovered physically or mentally, or if he was always going to dwindle.
The Steelers could be made substantially better by adding an outstanding quarterback like Stafford, according to Dameshek. He thinks they could win a playoff game even without killing the holes they have on the offense.
The Steelers' Best Option Is Still Fields
Fields played some of his best football when he started for the Steelers while Wilson was injured. He is younger and more athletic than Wilson. While he may not be the deep ball threat that Wilson is, he can protect himself.
The reason why Fields looked better may be because the pressure was taken off him. He played for a coach who didn't expect him to carry the team on his back. The Steelers say they want to win by running the ball, and Fields gives them the best shot at making that a reality.
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