Tag: Justin Fields

Before you ask, NO, the Steelers won’t sign Daniel Jones

The Giants released Daniels Jones on Friday and the Steelers need to stay far away from him.

Huge news out of New York on Friday with the Giants releasing former first-round pick Daniel Jones. According to reports, this was a mutually-agreed upon breakup between Jones and the Giants.

So before anyone asks, let’s be sure we are all clear. The Pittsburgh Steelers will not sign Jones this season. That’s not to say if Jones is on the market after the season ends, the Steelers might not entertain the idea but for now, the Steelers have enough quarterback problems to deal with without adding Jones to the mix.

Jones was the No. 6 overall pick in 2019. He played well enough to convince the Giants to give him a four-year, $160 million extension in the 2023 offseason. Jones has been a disaster since signing his new contract. The Steelers are already trying to sort out what to do with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and while neither guy is signed for 2025, we do not expect Pittsburgh to bring in Jones now and just further complicate things.

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Steelers’ quarterback quandary: Grading Russell Wilson and Justin Fields

Pro Football Network grades Steelers quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields ahead of Week 12 Cleveland Browns matchup.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback quandary ended when Russell Wilson was medically cleared from an offseason calf injury. Justin Fields reverted to Wilson’s backup and debuted his limited package in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Both players bring unique strengths and weaknesses to the table, but the jury is still out on whether this was the right call.

Ben Rolfe at Pro Football Network recently broke it down like this:

13) Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: C+

Russell Wilson is the poster child for why we set a 100-pass attempt minimum for these rankings. A week ago, he would have ranked inside the top five in these rankings, but his fourth start saw him plummet down the rankings after he ranked 26th on the week.

Wilson has been good when able to operate from a clean pocket this season, ranking eighth, but ranks 28th when he has to make plays under pressure. Prior to this week, choosing Wilson as the starter over Fields looked like a wise decision, but that is less decisive after the game against the Baltimore Ravens

14) Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: C+

It was a brave call from the Pittsburgh Steelers to bench Justin Fields after a 4-2 start to the season. Fields was having his career-best season in Pittsburgh, but the bar was low, and the numbers do not suggest he should have unquestioningly remained the starting QB.

There was a lot of promise about what Fields was doing, including ranking 10th when throwing under pressure and converting on third down. He wasn’t particularly performing badly at anything other than nYPA, which was ranked 25th at 6.1.

Fields was not hurting the Steelers and is a fine fill-in starter, but Wilson still offers Pittsburgh a slight advantage in the passing game.

The Steelers need long-term stability under center, something they have not had since the Ben Roethlisberger era. While Wilson’s ceiling is enticing, his inconsistency draws uncertainty. Fields is much younger, still developing and offers a spark with his athleticism.

Pittsburgh’s quarterback quandary will be most interesting to monitor early in the offseason, as both Wilson and Fields’ contracts expire at the beginning of the new NFL league year in March.

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Should Justin Fields be used more inside the 25? Red Zone struggles continue in win over Baltimore.

The Steelers struggles in the red zone continue with Russell Wilson at quarterback.

It’s no secret the Pittsburgh Steelers have been stalling in the Red Zone – in fact, they sit at 30th in the NFL as far as Red Zone efficiency.

One fix Steelers fans have been vouching for is to use QB Justin Fields in that area, where his legs are as dangerous as can be. Statistically, he has the stats to back its success.

Per Alan Saunders of Steelers Now, each quarterback brought Pittsburgh inside the 10-yard line 11 times, and Fields gave them 8 touchdowns and 1 FG as opposed to Wilson’s 4 TDs and 5 FGs.

Wilson’s drives have stalled out more than Fields’, but maybe that’s due to an imminent passing game with Wilson taking the helm, rather than mainly relying on the run game to score.

Despite this, it’s also important to note how Steelers OC Arthur Smith plans to use Fields and his surreal athleticism – for package plays designed for him. Smith plans on using him much more in the near future as the season is just past the half way point.

“I don’t view Justin as a gadget guy. We have two starting quarterbacks,” said Smith.

The recent Red Zone struggles are a sign for Smith to try out that “package” near the end of the field, but only time will tell if that’s one of the answers Pittsburgh needs in the final stretch of games.

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All 32 starting NFL QBs (including Russell Wilson) ranked by Total QBR

Where does Russell Wilson rank among the rest of the league in Total QBR?

Since switching from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone 4-0 and are on top in the AFC North. The team is 8-2 and if the playoffs started today, would be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

There are lost of ways to look at quarterback success but many say wins simply aren’t enough. Perhaps the most thorough measure of a quarterback’s contribution to that win is Total QBR, developed by ESPN. Here is the full ranking of all 32 NFL quarterbacks by Total QBR after Week 11 including Wilson.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR after Week 11

  1. Joe Burrow: 76.1
  2. Lamar Jackson: 75.0
  3. Kyler Murray: 74.9
  4. Josh Allen: 72.7
  5. Jayden Daniels: 67.6
  6. Brock Purdy: 67.4
  7. Patrick Mahomes: 67.0
  8. Derek Carr: 62.1
  9. Jalen Hurts: 62.0
  10. Matthew Stafford: 60.6
  11. Tua Tagovailoa: 60.4
  12. Drake Maye: 59.6
  13. Jared Goff: 59.4
  14. Jordan Love: 59.3
  15. Kirk Cousins: 56.3
  16. Justin Herbert: 56.3
  17. Baker Mayfield: 56.2
  18. Sam Darnold: 55.7
  19. Geno Smith: 55.4
  20. Bo Nix: 55.3
  21. C.J. Stroud: 54.4
  22. Aaron Rodgers: 51.0
  23. Jameis Winston: 61.0
  24. Russell Wilson: 59.5
  25. Anthony Richardson: 45.9
  26. Caleb Williams: 44.5
  27. Gardner Minshew: 39.1
  28. Will Levis: 32.6
  29. Bryce Young: 32.5
  30. Cooper Rush: 28.4
  31. Mac Jones: 17.7
  32. Drew Lock: 8.7

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ESPN analyst lists Steelers as favorites to sign Daniel Jones in 2025

Could Daniel Jones find a fresh start in Pittsburgh? One ESPN analyst sees the Steelers as a top landing spot if the Giants move on in 2025.

Pittsburgh is slowly becoming a quarterback rehab center, where struggling signal callers leave their worries, and former teams, behind to become a much more confident QB. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields looked far more comfortable with the Steelers than they did with the Broncos and Bears, respectively, and now it appears one ESPN analyst believes Pittsburgh could add one more name to this list come the 2025 offseason.

QB Daniel Jones of the New York Giants has seemingly fallen out of the team’s aspirations for their long-term future, with backup QB Tommy DeVito being named the team’s starter by Head Coach Brian Daboll.

ESPN analyst Ben Solak fully expects the Giants to cut Jones in 2025 and touched on potential landing spots for the QB, shooting down the New York Jets as suitors while hyping up Pittsburgh’s odds: “I’m also keeping my eyes on the Steelers (current running favorite), Titans and Browns.”

If the Pittsburgh Steelers are unable to keep Fields or Wilson past 2024, could Jones provide a much-needed bridge in 2025 while the team searches for their future signal caller?

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Why Justin Fields is the Steelers’ X-factor heading into Week 12’s TNF

The Justin Fields package helped secure a Week 11 win for the Steelers and could play a major role against Cleveland’s defense in Week 12.

While it can be argued that too much blame is being placed on Russell Wilson’s shoulders for the Steelers’ Week 11 offensive struggles, one key takeaway from Pittsburgh’s offense remains: the ‘Justin Fields package‘ was immaculate.

The Fields rushing package has been teased since the Steelers traded for the former Bears QB, and it finally came to fruition in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers brought Fields in for a QB power play and two QB-RB options that helped seal the Week 11 victory for Pittsburgh. In Week 12, facing a relentless Cleveland pass rush led by 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, the Steelers may be forced to rely on the Fields package as the focal point of the rushing attack.

Fields isn’t just a running QB; he can also sling it deep if the game script calls for it, and this versatility could prove to be Cleveland’s downfall in the upcoming Thursday Night Football game.

Will Steelers OC Arthur Smith utilize both Wilson’s and Fields’ greatest strengths in unison? Between Wilson’s ‘moon ball’ and Fields’ speed, not many defenses in the league can prepare for this offensive tandem.

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How the Justin Fields package became the Steelers’ secret weapon

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have unlocked their ultimate offensive weapon with the debut of the Justin Fields rushing-package in Week 11.

In what can only be described as a purely defensive contest, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 11 victory over the Baltimore Ravens paved the way for the debut of the long-awaited ‘Justin Fields package’ on offense.

Russell Wilson struggled against the Ravens’ defense, throwing for 205 yards while completing 63.9% of his passes and producing his lowest QBR of the season: 67.5. However, much of the blame should be placed on Pittsburgh’s pass protection, as the Ravens constantly had Wilson under pressure and sacked him four times.

Where the offense looked promising, however, was in several Justin Fields packages that featured three plays: one QB-power play and two QB-RB option plays that sealed the Steelers’ Week 11 victory.

Wilson’s ‘moon ball’ is a deep threat unlike anything the NFL has seen this season, but Pittsburgh’s implementation of Fields’ rushing abilities will make opposing defenses second-guess every meeting with the Steelers.

Wilson and Fields can tear through defenses in their own unique ways, and it was refreshing for fans to see what the Pittsburgh Steelers will be capable of moving forward when utilizing both talented QBs.

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Steelers QB Justin Fields (literally) falls short of playing hero in Ravens win

Justin Fields provided a spark the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers offense needed, despite sliding short of the first-down marker.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields took the field for the first time since Russell Wilson regained his starting position ahead of Week 7. Known for his dual-threat ability, Fields provided a spark in critical moments for an offense that sometimes struggled to find rhythm.

With the final minute of the clock ticking down, Fields faked a hand-off to Najee Harris and took off upfield with one goal: Get a first down to end the game.

Unfortunately, Fields slid too early, ahead of the first-down marker and fell one yard short of playing hero in Pittsburgh’s win over Baltimore. On the ensuing play, Harris managed a play up the middle for the critical yard to seal the win.

What matters is that the Steelers won despite an anemic outing from the offense. The win keeps them in the AFC North lead and highlights what we already knew—Fields’ presence can provide a spark. Pittsburgh could have unlocked a new dimension of its offense just in time for the playoff push.

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Russell Wilson leads NFL QBs in one interesting statistic, per PFF

Pro Football Focus ranks Russell Wilson’s deep ball as the NFL’s most accurate. Can it push the Steelers past Baltimore in Week 11?

When in doubt, let Russ cook! Every week since the Pittsburgh Steelers made the polarizing decision to bench the 4-2 Justin Fields, current starting QB Russell Wilson has proved his deep ball to be a necessity for the Pittsburgh offense.

While Wilson will never match Fields’ athletic prowess with his legs, the infamous PFF has confirmed that Wilson’s deep ball is the most accurate in the NFL.

Hitting on over 50 percent of these deep throws, his ‘moon ball’ has truly transformed the offense as a whole, and begs the question: would the Pittsburgh Steelers currently be 9-0 if Wilson had started every contest this season?

Wilson’s deep ball should be on full display against the Ravens in Week 11, as the Steelers’ offense faces one of the worst statistical defensive units against the pass.

Against Baltimore on November 17th at 1:00 PM EST, Wilson has the opportunity to do what Fields couldn’t do with Pittsburgh: go 4-0 through his first four starts with the team.

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Russell Wilson describes his decision to sign with Pittsburgh Steelers

Russell Wilson credits a shared vision with Coach Tomlin and meetings with Steelers stars for his decision to join Pittsburgh in 2024.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and QB Russell Wilson didn’t miss his chance to join the Pittsburgh Steelers after his exit from Denver, ultimately driven by a shared vision with Pittsburgh. Wilson sat down with ESPN’s Hannah Storm and discussed his decision-making process in choosing to come to the Steel City.

Wilson described several prominent Steelers players who made sales pitches during the 2024 offseason, including fellow Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner Cam Heyward, fellow Wisconsin alumnus T.J. Watt, and former All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick.

While playing with such elite talent seems like an offer too good to pass up, Wilson stated that his decision to sign with Pittsburgh stemmed from a shared vision with the team’s philosophy, including a similar football belief system: “I think Coach Tomlin and I share the same vision, love for the game, passion behind it, and obsession with it.”

While the success in the early chapters of the 2024 season can be credited to QB Justin Fields, no one can deny that Wilson helped make the Pittsburgh Steelers potential Super Bowl contenders.

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