Is there a battle for QB1 in Pittsburgh?

When National Football League teams begin their summer training camps, fans often focus on what positional battles will be taking place. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, this year’s training camp at St. Vincent’s College represents one competition that has sparked conversation just not in Steelers Nation but around all NFL circles and talk shows. 

That position is at quarterback and the Steelers QB room has been completely reshaped with the addition of free agent Russell Wilson and in a trade with Chicago to obtain their former starter Justin Fields. Veteran Kyle Allen is also in camp and on the roster as well as undrafted rookie John Plumlee who played his college ball at the University of Central Florida. The competition will boil down to either Wilson or Fields named opening day starter.

As camp opened it was made known even before Latrobe camp was convened that Russell Wilson was and currently is QB1. That certainly does not mean the job is being handed to him as it is his to lose. With 12 seasons under his belt and a couple of Super Bowl appearances one of which resulted in Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks getting a victory and giving Russell Wilson a Super Bowl ring, his experience far outweighs Justin Fields’ three short years in the league. 

Naming the starting quarterback by head coach Mike Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will boil down not to what these two accomplished in the past but how they perform at St. Vincent’s and in the pre-season games. It will not be an easy decision given the talents of both. It would not be fair to compare career statistics since Russell Wilson has played nine more seasons than has Fields. A subjective opinion could be made based on how each has performed in the last several seasons, so I think the best way to compare the two is based on the averages of the numbers they’ve put up thus far in their careers.

What follows are averages for the passing and rushing statistics of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. I am providing these numbers based on their overall numbers and breaking them down for seasonal and career averages. For his career Russ Wilson has played in 188 games. Fields game total is just 40. It is obvious that the better athlete might be Fields given his mobility and ability to scramble. 

When it comes to passing, the completion percentages between the two men are close. Wilson owns a career average of 64.7 just ahead of Fields’ 60.3. Per game Russ Wilson has averaged 30.1 attempts and completed 19.5% of those. Fields is not too far behind with 23.95 attempts while completing an average of 14.45 each time out. Per game Wilson averages 232 yards passing 66 yards ahead of Fields’ 166. The Steelers would love to see more passing touchdowns and Russell Wilson has done that 334 times in his illustrious career. That is almost two a game where Justin Field has 40 in 40 games so one a game. But for the season, Wilson has averaged 27.8 each year of his career while in three years Fields’ number is 13.3. That lends to Wilson being a better passer.

Behind the line of scrimmage Russell Wilson has been sacked 527 times in his career, averaging 2.8 per game. Because Justin Fields is more mobile does not mean he isn’t sacked less. Having gone down 135 times, his per game average is higher than his competition at Summer camp with a 3.37 mark. Over the course of a season the former Bears quarterback has averaged only 13.5 sacks per season while Wilson’s number over 12 seasons is 43.9, much higher than the younger Fields.

One number used to judge quarterbacks is their rating. Over the course of their careers, Russell Wilson has had a rating of 100 whereas Fields is much lower at 82.3. Interceptions can be a game killer and Wilson has thrown 106 in 12 seasons for a yearly average of 8.83 while Fields has been picked 30 times or 10 per season. Running the ball is where Justin Fields excels much better than his new counterpart.

For his career Russell Wilson has rushed for 5,307 yards and Justin Fields is catching up to him quickly with 2,220. Per season Fields averages 740 yards when running with the ball and 55.5 yards per game. Wilson on the other hand has a seasonal number of 442.5 and 28.2 per game. Wilson hit the end zone carrying the ball 29 times, Fields 14 times. Russ Wilson accounts for 27.75 first downs a season when running and Fields compares with 43.3. One huge negative aside from interceptions are fumbles. Russell Wilson has been guilty of that 103 times in 12 seasons or 8.58 each season. Justin Fields has had the ball ripped from his grip 38 times in three seasons, or 12.6 per campaign. Those numbers with his interceptions are something he will need to clean up if he is to be QB1. 

As for distance on throwing the ball and running it, Wilson’s longest pass has been for 80 yards, Fields having completed a 64-yarder. Justin Fields’ longest run has been 67 yards compared to Wilson’s jaunt in one game of 55 yards. Both players are now on a new team having played last season elsewhere. For Russell Wilson it was with the Denver Broncos where his career there didn’t end well getting benched in the process. Still, his numbers last season were far better than former Steelers starter Kenny Pickett and he came to Pittsburgh with the smallest contract in dollars than any other starting quarterback in the league. Thus, he could be regarded as a steal especially if he excels as the new Black and Gold starter in 2024. 

Justin Fields came to the Chicago Bears as a high draft choice and with much promise. But his play there was up and down, and the Bears just lacked enough talent around Fields to get the best out of him. Now both players are behind a revamped offensive line that will surely be much better than a season before. Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith have a problem most coaches would love to have. Two capable quarterbacks of which either could be a starter. 



The Steelers and their fans are in a win-win situation. No matter who comes out of the preseason as starter, rest assured that man will have won the job fairly and will have done so with promising performances. Most experts are discounting the Steelers chances of having a deep playoff run this forthcoming season but I’m not one that agrees with that. By staying healthy, this version of the Steelers is very impressive and ready to win. Whether it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields as the starter, the offense should be tremendously improved over 2023 and if Wilson is QB1 you can count on seeing Justin Fields getting playing time and occasionally bringing back memories of Kordell “Slash” Stewart.