The Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled its quarterback room heading into the 2024 season . Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, Mason Rudolph signed with the Tennessee Titans and Mitch Trubisky signed with the Buffalo Bills.
To replace them, the Steelers signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson and then traded for Justin Fields. The chatter out of Pittsburgh all offseason was that Wilson was the starter and Fields was the back up. Wilson picked up a calf injury in the preseason that caused him to miss some time. Fields didn't blow anyone away with the opportunity and the expectation was that when Wilson was healthy, he would take back over as the starter.
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Steelers QB competition
Week 1 vs. Falcons
Wilson's injury lingered into the regular season and he was ruled inactive for the team's first game against the Atlanta Falcons. Justin Fields got his opportunity and led the Steelers to a road win.
| Completion % | Passing Yards | Passing Touchdowns | Interceptions | Carries | Rushing Yards | Rushing Touchdowns |
| Justin Fields Week 1 | 73.9% | 156 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 57 | 0 |
Fields didn't exactly light up the Atlanta defense, but Pittsburgh is built to be a run-first team. A win is a win and so Fields' fresh slate with the Steelers was off to a good start.
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Week 2 vs. Broncos
The week began and all eyes were on whether or not Wilson would return to practice. The veteran was able to log a limited participation each day that week, drawing the "questionable" tag heading into the weekend. Wilson was later ruled inactive, but was still listed as the team's emergency quarterback in case both Fields and third-stringer Kyle Allen were both unable to play.
Fields and the Steelers were again on the road, this time taking on the Denver Broncos.
| Completion % | Passing Yards | Passing Touchdowns | Interceptions | Carries | Rushing Yards | Rushing Touchdowns |
| Justin Fields Week 2 | 65% | 117 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 0 |
The 25-year-old quarterback still didn't put up marquee numbers against the Broncos, but Pittsburgh came away with another win. After beating Atlanta 18-10 in Week 1, the Steelers took down Denver 13-6 in Week 2.
Week 3 vs. Chargers
Fields was 2-0 as the starter, but again the question was whether or not Wilson would be healthy and play. For the second consecutive week, Wilson was limited each practice during the week and was listed as questionable. Similar to the past two weeks, he was ruled inactive, but also served as the team's emergency quarterback.
This was arguably Fields' best game of the season and the run-heavy offensive vision was coming together.
| Completion % | Passing Yards | Passing Touchdowns | Interceptions | Carries | Rushing Yards | Rushing Touchdowns |
| Justin Fields Week 3 | 78.1% | 245 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
Despite how often the Steelers ran the ball (31 times as a team), Fields finished with a season-high for passing yards. He also found the endzone on the ground for the first time this year. He hasn't broken off crazy long runs like he did with Chicago, but he looks a little more comfortable overall in this offense.
Pittsburgh beat Los Angeles 20-10 to move to 3-0 on the season.
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Who is the Steelers starting QB?
Fields looks like he has the job for now. If Wilson had been established as the starting quarterback, performed well, and then gotten hurt, it would be a different story. That didn't happen, and we haven't seen what this offense looks like with Wilson under center.
Fields looks like the starting quarterback until he blows it, and the biggest question now revolves around how long a leash he will be given by head coach Mike Tomlin.
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