Insider: Steelers QB Battle Becoming 'More Open'

According to one NFL insider, the Steelers quarterback competition is still open.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields at minicamp / Pittsburgh Steelers | Karl Rose

PITTSBURGH -- Through the beginning of training camp, Justin Fields has taken the majority of the snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Russell Wilson was limited or a non-participant so far while nursing a minor hamstring injury. Wilson is still the presumptive starter heading into the 2024 season, but

According to one NFL insider, the competition for the Steelers' starting quarterback is far from over. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo attended the team's training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and he sounded convinced that Mike Tomlin is letting camp and the preseason play out before making a final decision.

"The longer it goes and the more reps that Justin Fields gets, the more I think that this one is actually an open competition," he said. "To be fair, Mike Tomlin never said that it was closed. All he said was that Russell Wilson was in pole position."

Through the early days of camp, Fields' performance has been up and down. He's shown flashes of his athletic excellence and his impressive arm strength every day of camp, including some highlight-reel completions to George Pickens. But he's also made some unforced errors and struggled to make precise throws under pressure, so it's difficult to gauge what the Steelers will get out of Fields in a game situation.

That didn't deter from Garafolo doubling down during his report from Steelers' training camp. Without mentioning who he spoke to on the team, he discussed how the team is impressed with Fields' improvement since joining the organization and will likely get a larger shot during the preseason.

"This one's open," he said. "When we get into the preseason and Justin Fields starts doing Justin Fields things, it might get even more open, and maybe somebody else is in the pole position. We'll see."

Without Wilson taking reps alongside Fields, it's impossible to tell who has the edge in the competition. Fields is receiving more and more attention, but once Wilson is under center, it should become apparent that the competition isn't as wide open as Garafolo wants to think.

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