The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback dilemma ended when Russell Wilson was medically cleared of an offseason calf injury. Justin Fields returned to Wilson's backup and debuted his limited package in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Both players bring unique strengths and weaknesses, but the jury is still out on whether this was the right decision.
Ben Rolfe recently on Pro Football Network I broke it like this:
13) Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: C+Russell Wilson is the poster boy for why we set a minimum of 100 pass attempts for these rankings. A week ago he would have finished in the top five of these rankings, but in his fourth start he plummeted down the rankings after finishing 26th this week.
Wilson has been good this season when able to operate from a clean pocket, ranking eighth, but he ranks 28th when forced to play under pressure. Before this week, choosing Wilson as the starter over Fields seemed like a smart decision, but that's less crucial after the game against the Baltimore Ravens
14) Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: C+It was a bold decision by the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade Justin Fields after a 4-2 start to the season. Fields had his best season of his career in Pittsburgh, but the bar was low and the numbers don't suggest he necessarily should have remained the starting quarterback.
Fields' performance was promising, including 10th when throwing under pressure and converting on third down. Except for nYPA, which ranked 25th with a score of 6.1, he didn't do particularly poorly on anything.
Fields hasn't hurt the Steelers and is a good backup starter, but Wilson still gives Pittsburgh a slight advantage in the passing game.
The Steelers need long-term stability under center, something they haven't had since Ben Roethlisberger Epoch. While Wilson's ceiling is tempting, his inconsistency creates uncertainty. Fields is much younger, still developing and is turning heads with his athleticism.
Pittsburgh's quarterback dilemma will be particularly interesting to watch as the offseason begins, as Wilson and Fields' contracts expire at the start of the new NFL league year in March.
