Ben Roethlisberger shares his Russell Wilson concern amid Steelers QB battle with Justin Fields

Ben Roethlisberger has shared his conerns about the Pittsburgh Steelers moving forward with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this season, after the former was recently named the starter.

The Steelers moved on from first-round pick Kenny Pickett, the man who was drafted to replace Roethlisberger, their legendary quarterback, after he retired following the 2021 season - with the team bringing in both Wilson and Fields this offseason to compete for the starting job.

After seemingly leading the offense throughout training camp, Wilson was named the starter heading into the season while also being the only offensive captain in a showing of faith in the former Super Bowl winner. However, Roethlisberger expects Steelers fans to be on Wilson's back should he struggle early - with Fields' upside something that will entice fans as the year progresses.

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Speaking on his Footbahlin podcast, he said: "So Fields is going to create those big like plays so you have some fans that are wanting Justin and want that kind of elusive, like let's run it. Then you got a guy who’s probably going to be the star and throw.

"My concern is if Russ struggles, that Justin fan base is going to start to grow and they are going to be, it happened last year. Mitch Trubisky was the starter and soon as he starts doing bad, they are yelling for Kenny. Then Kenny struggled and they started to chant for Mitch. When you have two guys, it can get tricky."

Despite looking to be a strong roster on paper, the Steelers will face a brutal schedule in the 2024 season - with the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns all expected to compete for the playoffs while in their divison.

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After having a struggling offense in each of the last two years, Pittsburgh fans will come into the season restless and will not give Wilson much leeway if he does struggle early - something Roethlisberger fears.

However, in Mike Tomlin as their head coach, they have a leader who is yet to suffer a losing season to his record with Roethlisberger expectng him to manage the situation as it needs being.

"I know Coach T can handle it. It’s just going to be a unique situation as the season unfolds. Now, if Russ plays great and there’s never a time for that, then great, but every quarterback, every great player, I don’t care the greatest ones have games, have situations where it’s like man, that wasn’t good."