It may not have been how he initially envisioned it, but Mike Tomlin‘s plan for his quarterbacks is coming together nicely.
It was a whirlwind dismantling of the quarterback room for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. First, the Steelers released Mitch Trubisky (now back with the Buffalo Bills) on February 12, 2024. Shortly after, the Tennessee Titans signed QB3 Mason Rudolph in free agency. Then, once Kenny Pickett got wind of Justin Fields coming to Pittsburgh, he requested a trade that sent Pickett packing to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It wasn’t long until Pittsburgh’s muddled quarterback picture became clear: Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson was the new signal-caller, and work-in-progress Fields was acquired via trade to back him up.
But Wilson’s calf injury at the onset of training camp threw a wrench in those initial plans. The veteran would miss all but the final two weeks of camp, and in his absence, Fields worked with the first-team offense.
Fields wasn’t spectacular but did enough to (mostly) not lose. The Steelers were 4-2 when Wilson was medically cleared and Tomlin made the decision to go back to Plan A. It was always Wilson’s team; Fields was not intended to be the season-long starter once Wilson was good to go.
Fields took being relegated to backup like the pro he is. And despite a shaky first few drives, Wilson got his act together and has done a nice job with Pittsburgh’s offense.
But for Tomlin’s quarterback plan, it’s been more about what happens on the sideline than on the playing field: Wilson and Fields sitting side-by-side on the bench while the Steelers’ defense wreaks havoc. The two quarterbacks constantly communicate, and Fields is a sponge for it all.
After all, Fields is the future of the franchise. Anything and everything he can take in from his veteran Steelers mentor will only benefit him in 2025.
