SI

Bill Cowher Names His Choice for Steelers QB Between Russell Wilson, Justin Fields

Madison Williams

Aug 6, 2022; Canton, OH, USA; Bill Cowher arrives on the red carpet during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Aug 6, 2022; Canton, OH, USA; Bill Cowher arrives on the red carpet during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will need to make an official decision soon about who his starting quarterback will be in the 2024 NFL season between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

Both quarterbacks struggled in preseason games thus far, with Wilson most recently criticized for his poor performance against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher doesn't believe Tomlin should count Wilson out after his latest performance, though. Cowher is confident the Steelers should stick with the veteran quarterback as the starter at the beginning of the season.

"If I'm Mike Tomlin ... I think you start the season with Russell," Cowher said on the Pat McAfee Show. "Justin Fields, if he starts as the second guy, have a package of plays. If all of a sudden you need a spark, something to get your offense going again, put him in. If you have to take Russell out, he's been there before. It's not going to destroy his confidence. I don't want to start Justin Fields, then feel like I have to make a change and I have to take him out."

Cowher also talked about limiting the expectations of Fields so he can feel more confident in his position whenever he's ready to go.

"I would take the pressure off of Justin, start Russell, and Russell may take it and run with it."

The quarterback decision has been a big storyline all offseason as the Steelers restarted with a brand new quarterback room after losing Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph from last year's roster. The team went through a similar scenario with Trubisky and Pickett in 2022, as Trubisky began the season as the starting quarterback until Tomlin chose to go with the first-round pick Pickett in Week 5.

Tomlin has just a few weeks to make his official decision about the quarterback before the team's Week 1 matchup vs. the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8.

MORE STEELERS

Published |Modified
Madison Williams

MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

Home/NFL