We knew that Russell Wilson has been working his way back from a calf injury for months now. What we didn't know is that Steelers fans would be blindsided with bizarre quarterback news in Week 7.
Shortly after Pittsburgh wrapped up a 32-13 road victory against the Las Vegas Raiders, Mike Tomlin spoke to the media and all but confirmed he will be starting Russell Wilson at quarterback in Week 7 when the Steelers host the Jets for Sunday Night Football.
This obviously caused an uproar among the fanbase.
In six games, quarterback Justin Fields helped his team to a 4-2 record while scoring 10 touchdowns to go with just one interception. While Fields has been anything but perfect as a passer, his rushing ability has come in handy -- especially for a team that wants to be dominant running the football.
Apparently, this wasn't enough for Fields to keep his starting job now that Wilson has returned to health... and fans aren't having it.
Mina Kimes flipped her lid on Mike Tomlin for this wild decision, claiming 'for this to make any sense, Wilson would have to be dramatically better than he was at the end of his time in Denver.' Kimes explained on NFL on ESPN how making the switch to Wilson hurts the running game.
"Switching to Russell Wilson hurts your run game."@MinaKimes on why the Steelers should keep Justin Fields at QB1 ✍️ pic.twitter.com/eWn7rg3mN7
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 15, 2024
Kimes wasn't the only member of the media who went off on the absurdity of this quarterback decision. Bloggers and radio personalities were quick to share their frustration with the decision.
Russell Wilson holds onto the ball longer than any QB in the NFL. He's less mobile than ever before. His offensive line is in tatters. He gets sacked a ton. He's playing the team with the 3rd most sacks in the NFL. He fumbles a lot. Why the F is Tomlin making a QB change?
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) October 15, 2024
Justin Fields has:
— Jarrett Bailey (@JBaileyNFL) October 16, 2024
-A higher EPA per play than Patrick Mahomes
-A higher success rate than C.J. Stroud
-A higher CPOE than Josh Allen
-More rushing touchdowns than Saquon Barkley
There is ZERO reason for the Steelers to bench him. https://t.co/abnyjyS7rq
Russell Wilson...
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) October 15, 2024
- Turns 36 years old next month
- Hardly practiced in full from start of the summer until now
- Will be limited in terms of mobility
- Wasn't great on the Broncos or Seahawks the past 3 years
- Inspires zero hope of a future for the Steelers
What are we doing?
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is asked if Russell Wilson has the ability to escape the rush the way Justin Fields did against the Raiders: "No, he does not."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 15, 2024
Even sportsbooks were left scratching their heads. This graphic from FanDuel shows a side-by-side of Justin Fields and Texans franchise QB C.J. Stroud.
Should Justin Fields lose the Steelers QB1 job to Russell Wilson? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/j4FraWmsli
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) October 15, 2024
Mike Tomlin's QB decision could divide the fanbase
As Steelers fans, we all want the same thing: for this team to succeed and bring home the seventh Lombardi Trophy. But making a devise move like this isn't going to help unite the fanbase.
While many fans are on 'Team Wilson', it's impossible to justify moving on from Fields when he's executing Arthur Smith's playbook, offering the ability to move the chains with his legs, taking care of the football, and winning games.
Would any other QB in the league be benched under the same circumstances?
Now a soon-to-be 36-year-old Russell Wilson -- fresh off a months-long calf injury -- will sit stagnant behind an offensive line with three players out for the season. Is this really a hill that Tomlin wants to die on?
If things go south for Wilson, Fields needs to be ready to make a statement if he sees the field again as a starter. This was a wild decision by Mike Tomlin, and if the Wilson experiment ends poorly, fans will have a hard time restoring trust in the Steelers' head coach.