The Pittsburgh Steelers made sweeping changes to their quarterback room last season. Shortly after Russell Wilson was banished from the Denver Broncos, the Steelers picked him up on a one-year deal at the veteran minimum salary, hoping to have him mentor and help guide the struggling Kenny Pickett. 

Pickett, a local hero from his days at Pitt, was the team’s 2022 first-rounder, but struggled to establish himself at the NFL level and was upstaged by third-stringer-turned-folk-hero Mason Rudolph, who shocked the world when he swiped Pickett’s job at the end of the season and was called upon in the team’s Wild Card matchup in Buffalo. 

Sources debated how Pickett handled the news that another quarterback was here to take his starting role away, but a few days later, the team traded him to Philadelphia, reportedly stemming from a trade request. 

To fill in the backup role, Steelers general manager Omar Khan swung a deal to acquire Justin Fields from Chicago. With the Bears holding the first overall pick and Fields not quite living up to his 11th-overall pick status in three years, Khan got Fields on the ultra-cheap. 

Fields essentially took Pickett’s role in the Steelers’ long-term plans. Despite declining his fifth-year option, the team was encouraged by his ceiling. 

If Wilson excelled, the Steelers could ride his success to a deep playoff run and perhaps keep him around. If not, the Steelers could bring in Fields in a starting capacity and give him another chance with his new organization. 

Fields started six games to open the year while Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury. In that action, Fields made great strides from his days in Chicago. He went 4-2 averaging 184.3 passing yards per game, 38.5 rushing yards per game and 10 total touchdowns. Despite Fields playing winning football for the Steelers, Tomlin still went ahead and replaced Fields with Wilson once he was finally healthy. 

Tomlin was vindicated in the early weeks after making the switch when Wilson turned back the clock and engineered a high-powered offense to knock off top teams like Washington and Baltimore. 

But Wilson declined just as fast as he rose, losing four straight to end the year and suffering a massive decline in his performance. His decision-making was way off, and his pocket presence was a nightmare. 

By the time the playoffs rolled around, there was a legitimate case to start Fields over Wilson to try and prolong the Steelers’ season. 

Now, after seeing how this season played out, the Steelers have to stick to that idea. 

Despite Wilson’s well-documented interest in returning to Pittsburgh, the team should let him walk in free agency and hand over the keys to Fields. 

In his end of season press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin said that mobility was “very” important for whoever the next quarterback for the team is. Fields brings that in spades. His athletic style of play brought an extra dimension to the Steelers’ offense, and the ability to design runs or have a quarterback take off was a tremendous benefit. 

Even after Wilson took over, the Steelers still tried to utilize Fields and his legs, designating a set number of package plays that kept defenses guessing when he was on the field. 

Behind an offensive line that is very much still a work in progress, Wilson was largely a sitting duck. Fields, while he can’t outrun all his problems, can evade pressure and escape sacks better than Wilson can. 

Coming into this season, two of the biggest knocks on Fields’ game were his arm and his turnover problems. But Fields completed 65.8% of his passes, 2.1% more than Wilson did this year. Fields also drastically cleaned up the turnover issue, throwing only one pick and losing one fumble. 

Wilson, by comparison, turned the ball over at a far higher rate, committing 0.8 turnovers to Fields’ 0.3 per game. 

In the red zone in particular — an area where the Wilson-led offense routinely struggled — Fields delivered touchdowns at a much higher rate, and having a quarterback who could run forced defenses to stay on their toes. 

Fields’ pace through six games would have given him 3,134 passing yards, 654 rushing yards and 28 total touchdowns if he started every game for the Steelers, all of which were well above his 17-game paces from his three years in Chicago. 

Fields’ performance is somewhat tied to his offensive coaching staff, who will need to allow Fields to take more control of the offense if he is the full-time starter. Last year, the offense felt schemed for a backup quarterback, with low event action and a particular emphasis on protecting the ball. 

That’s not to say that the Steelers have to make Fields play hero ball for 60 minutes, but the team’s offensive coordinator — whether that’s Arthur Smith or someone else — will need to tailor a playbook that works to Fields’ strengths. 

If he succeeds, then the Steelers could have found their guy, who is still well under 30. He’s a better-calculated risk than the weak quarterback class in the draft, where the Steelers hold the 21st pick. They are nowhere near high enough to nab one of the top guys. 

The pending free agent class is similarly weak, led by Minnesota’s Sam Darnold, who is an iffy bet after experiencing a career year with the Vikings. Behind him is a list of journeymen and backups that would prove no better a bet than running Fields out there. 

And if Fields crashes and burns, it will mean that the Steelers are in prime position for a higher draft pick in a 2026 draft class that is much deeper at the quarterback position. 

Give him a legitimate chance.