Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson, and senior NFL writer Frank Schwab discuss the Steelers QB situation and when Mike Tomlin will commit to Justin Fields long term or flip to Russell Wilson at QB. Hear the full conversation on “Inside Coverage” – and subscribe on , , or
Video Transcript
For Tom when you’re sitting there and you’re looking at Russ and you say, ok, well, Russ isn’t healthy or at least that’s the way I can play it right now.
So I don’t have to say definitively that Justin Fields is the starter.
So that in week five or six or seven, if Fields hits a wall or we start to lose some games and it feels like there needs to be a little bit of momentum change.
I can switch to, to Russell Wilson and say, well, this isn’t a benching.
I’m not benching fields.
I never named fields starter.
He was, he was doing his job as the backup.
I’m making this, you know, we’re going back to who our starter is because now Russ is healthy and that’s uh it’s a seamless way for him to be able to make the change down the line if necessary without calling it a fields benching.
But I, I will, I’m of the mind of you guys.
I still think long term organizationally if what you’ve seen from the first three weeks of, of Justin Fields is legitimate that to me would be the quarterback.
I would want to have in the, on the roster in 2025.
Let’s say they go to Indianapolis this week and lose 13 to 10 and the offense struggles again, which obviously could happen and Russ is healthy.
Do you think there’s a possibility?
They just say really that they just make a change?
I do and I do because I think for them there’s also the, the, the sort of juggling aspect of it and I think there was a mindset that, you know what, it’s easier to start with Russ.
If things hit a wall, we make the switch to Justin and then if we have to later in the season, we can make the switch back to Russ, I think.
And at least prior to the season beginning, the more difficult juggle would have been naming Justin Fields, the starter, switching to Russ and it not working and then switching back to fields toward the end of the season.
You want, you, you wanna, I think the book end, you want the experienced guy to be the book end on the back and forth.
Whereas, you know, fields doesn’t, at least it’s not the same level of experience.
But yeah, I think if they tank against the Colts.
Absolutely.
And, and frankly, I think the Steelers fan base would be like, maybe, maybe we could give Russ a look here, like, let’s at least see what, what Russ has got to offer.