(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Steelers still haven’t decided on who their starting quarterback will be for Week 1, at least publicly, but of course, both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields feel they deserve to win the spot.
Earlier this summer, head coach Mike Tomlin said Wilson had the “pole position” for the starting job, and although he was efficient in the second preseason game, he apparently hasn’t done enough to secure the spot.
Regarding the competition, former NFL executive Michael Lombardi said the winner of the Steelers’ QB1 spot will be the man who protects the football and plays complementary football best, but said Wilson is “trending in the wrong direction.”
“I’m concerned about what level of play has he been [at],” Lombardi said on “The Jim Rome Show.”
.@mlombardiNFL on who he thinks should win the Steelers QB competition. pic.twitter.com/Tr2cViva3H
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) August 23, 2024
Lombardi added that Wilson has lost his ability to gain yards with his legs and that he isn’t working well while in the pocket.
Wilson’s decline over the past three years has been the subject of lots of discussion, and it played a role in the Denver Broncos faring poorly in his two years with them.
In 2020, he ran for 513 yards and two touchdowns, but since then hasn’t come close to that level of production, with his yards per rushing attempt average falling off considerably.
If Wilson isn’t Pittsburgh’s starter, Fields may not excite the fans much, as he completed just 60.3 percent of his pass attempts in his three NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears.
While Pittsburgh has an intriguing roster on paper, they also have some definite holes, and they may have to huff and puff to match last season’s total of 10 wins.
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