Steelers Found Their Next Franchise QB

The Pittsburgh Steelers might have found something special in Justin Fields.

Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their quarterback. After two years of searching, and names like Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and Russell Wilson being deemed candidates, the next "guy" has emerged - and his name is Justin Fields.

Fields is 3-0 as the starter for the Steelers. It's the first time in his career he's won three consecutive games. It's also the first time since Ben Roethlisberger retired that the Steelers feel like an offense that can do what it needs to to win. Not just win because they did enough, but win because they contributed.

There are no parts of Fields's game in question right now. He's not running when he shouldn't be. He is running when he should be. And even with one interception, his accuracy isn't in question and he's making timely throws to the right receivers.

There have been no moments where you've wondered if Fields should be the starter. And at 3-0, there's no turning back now.

"I feel like I'm just very calm out there," Fields said. "Cool, calm and collected on the field, and really just that sense of peace out there on the field and not really rushing things internally in my brain."

Head coach Mike Tomlin will likely walk into his Week 4 press conference and say something along the lines of the team will prepare for Fields to start but until Wilson is healthy, they won't think about who will start when both quarterbacks are available.

That's fine. He can push this back as far as he'd like to, and he should. His job isn't to make drastic declarations, it's to protect his team and make sure they're always prepared for what's next. We have no idea what the rest of the season brings. We do know that right now, Fields isn't going anywhere.

The bigger picture, though, is that the Steelers might have gotten "a guy" for nothing. They traded a conditional sixth-round pick, which will revert to a fourth-rounder with the amount Fields will play this season, for a potential franchise quarterback.

Too soon to say that? No, it's not. People were ready to declare Pickett the next face of the franchise before he did anything. Fields and this offense look 10-times better than the last one did in two seasons. And they're only three games in.

It's time to start talking about how good Fields and the Steelers can be. This team isn't a pretender, they might actually be contenders. Only time will tell, but the last three weeks have shown just how far this group has come, and gives you plenty of belief they are just starting to "break the dam" with this group.

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