Mike Tomlin had harsh assessment of Steelers’ QB battle

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin roams the sidelines during player introductions prior to the start of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on October 29, 2023.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin suggested after Saturday’s preseason game that neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields has done nearly enough to seize control of the team’s quarterback battle.

Tomlin said the team’s efforts on offense were “JV” after Saturday’s ugly 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, citing the quarterback play as an issue. The head coach added that there were a whole litany of other problems that impacted the team’s offense as well.

“We didn’t do a good enough job of protecting the quarterback. We gotta do a better job in pass protection than we did, not only in possession downs but just in general,” Tomlin said. “I was really upfront with the group about it in that regard. That can’t be a problem for us.”

The biggest problem, however, might be the quarterback position. Russell Wilson went 8/10 in his preseason debut, but tallied just 47 yards and was sacked three times. Justin Fields was not much better, going 11/17 for only 92 yards. The fact that he was not that good last week either does not inspire much confidence.

For now, Wilson is still in line to be the team’s starter, though that won’t excite anyone after Saturday’s showing. Tomlin clearly wants further improvement as well, but if he does not get it, he does not really have a lot of options outside of just riding with Wilson.

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