The Pittsburgh Steelers made two of the most noteworthy acquisitions of the offseason when they signed quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year deal and followed that up by trading for quarterback Justin Fields.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has made it clear that Wilson has pole position, but that Fields will be given a fair chance to compete for the starting job. We saw that competition begin throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and it will resume in two weeks when the Steelers take the field for training camp in Latrobe.
Everyone seems to have their own opinions about what the Steelers will look like this season, and what their new quarterbacks are capable of. I was joined by former NFL All-Pro Shawne Merriman on The Pump Fake and asked his thoughts on the Steelers and Wilson.
“I think he won’t be starting by Week 4,” Merriman said. “He’s gonna win [the starting job in camp] because he’s smart. One thing about Russell Wilson is he’s always been smart with the football. That’s always been his thing- he makes great decisions. So he is going to win in training camp, he’s going to win the job. He’s a great salesman… I think he’s one of the best at just dealing with the media, staying positive, saying all the right things, doing the right things- the ultimate salesman. And when it comes time to play football, we’ll see who he really is. Even now, he’s working out during the offseason… he looks amazing. He looks like the Russell Wilson we’ve seen in Seattle. Again, selling the hell out of himself. But we all know when football really starts how that can change quickly.”
Wilson had a very good offseason program and was the best quarterback on the field for Pittsburgh, but Fields continued to improve throughout OTAs and minicamp. We’ll see what training camp and preseason action have in store for the Steelers and their two quarterbacks.
