That wasn’t expected at all! Russell Wilson saw a dream of getting a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers right after his signing with the Steel City. But it seems he arguably failed to at least cover the first step towards it, as he suffered a calf issue ahead of training camp.

The battle of QB1 between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields was on for the Steelers team. Additionally, it was expected that Wilson would take up the lead role in this season. But recently a major hit happened to the former Broncos quarterback, probably drowning his wish of playing at QB1 spot. So, will Fields snatch the role from Wilson? NFL analyst shuts down on this comparison.

Who will take the stage?

In the episode of SPEAK on July 25, 2024, NFL analysts Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor, LeSean McCoy, and James Jones reacted to Justin Fields taking up the QB 1 role after Russell Wilson skipped the Day 1 camp. Wilson didn’t attend the camp, as he is currently experiencing calf tightness. This provoked Taylor to answer the question – “Is Field posing a threat for the 30-year-old QB?“ Taylor expressed, “No, if Russ is hurt, then there it is. This is what’s going to happen. That’s what you have backups for. But if Russ is healthy not at all….I mean, if Russ is not able to play, then he will not be like literally if Russ is not available, that’s the only way that he’s taking the job from him.” Hence, according to Taylor, he poses no threat to the job of Wilson.

Besides that, Taylor also highlighted that Wilson had a “really really bad year” in 2022 with Denver, but Fields was even “worse” than him. She compared the stats of the two, saying, “Russ was 4 and 11; Fields was 3 and 12. (Wilson had) 3,000 524 passing yards; Justin Fields had 2,242 passing yards. Passing yards per game 234 for Wilson; Fields had 149.5.”

Hence, in terms of stats, Taylor proved that Wilson is much better than Fields, if injury issues do not plague his games.

Will Russell Wilson not be the QB1?

Russell Wilson skipped the first day of the training camp due to his calf soreness. Talking about his injury, coach Mike Tomlin said, “Russ woke up today, his calf was tight. It was my decision to sit him down today, create a little short-term discomfort for him, not allowing a small problem to become a bigger problem.” Therefore, in replacement of him, Justin Fields got QB1 reps, as he received a 6 a.m. text from the team’s quarterback coach, Mike Sullivan. As soon as this replacement was announced, it spread like wildfire among the NFL fans and analysts. Some fans are also speculating about Fields and Wilson’s relationship in the camp.

But as for reports, everything is fine between them, as Fields himself acknowledged, “Any question that I have, I can always go to Russ asking for advice. He’s going to give his knowledge. He’s been in the league for a long time. Any advice he has for me, I’m always open and willing to take that.” This clearly states there is no rift between the Men of Steel. Besides that, many are pondering over Wilson’s state and chances of being the number 1 QB for Steel City. So, worry not! Tomlin has also cleared this doubt. He mentioned that although Fields is taking the reps in Wilson’s absence, “nothing has changed to Wilson’s pole position status for the starting job.”

Now it remains to be seen when Wilson is coming back healthy!