Perhaps the only thing more useless than creating a preseason depth chart is naming a starter at the quarterback position in Week 1. If there was ever any doubt, so that there was a somewhat open competition throughout training camp, chances are it will be open again if the “starter” starts to falter.

Russell Wilson is not the Baker Mayfield of a year ago, and anyone who believes that is ignoring the mountain of evidence and the horde of Denver Broncos wide receivers who have done jumping jacks and begged for the football over the past two seasons. Mayfield, who beat out Kyle Trask last summer, led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs and signed a long-term contract extension in the offseason, still has the skills that made him a great quarterback in the first place. Wilson is in the midst of a laborious transition from veteran play-extender with a handful of good throws in his arsenal to veteran field hopeful without the ability to pick apart a defense with a Rolodex of experience – the main advantage of starting quarterback in your mid- to late 30s, which can often outweigh the decline in mobility.

I don’t think it’s controversial that it’s only a matter of time before Justin Fields takes the job in Pittsburgh. Fields could even play in Week 1, a possibility Mike Tomlin not disputed when Wilson was named the starter. If the Steelers had absolute confidence in Wilson, they would not have drafted Fields or given the locker room a chance to see the matchup between the two quarterbacks that the team will inevitably rethink if Wilson becomes a tiring presence on or off the field.

I’m not denying that Wilson had some great years and had some coaches and teammates who loved him, but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that he was so unreliable and out of shape in Denver that Nathaniel Hackett decided to take the ball out of his hands at a critical moment at the end of the game. his first game as head coach and kick a long field goal. If you’re one of those people who thinks Hackett was the reason for Wilson’s failures, explain why Sean Payton, after thumping his chest so eagerly about his superior abilities as a quarterback coach, is now spending the most dead money in NFL history on Wilson playing for the Steelers.

Wilson is a matter of personal and playing ability, which is why he is now trying to make it with his third NFL franchise. Fields, who has had his moments of unconventional public honesty and has gone through a bit of a learning curve regarding the role of a franchise quarterback in a football-obsessed market, is younger and more athletic and has a higher development potential that he was previously unaware of. especially towards the end of last yearNow that the Steelers are accommodating him on the footwork side and trying to build something more sustainable with his tool set, it’s only a matter of time before Fields’ long-term potential and momentum surpass Wilson’s combination of experience and remaining athleticism.

My feeling about this is so strong that I wonder why Pittsburgh doesn’t spend more time unlocking Fields’ potential rather than patching Wilson back together in the first place. The only benefit of doing this is that you have the wind in your sails that comes from passing the baton to the player everyone is undoubtedly more excited about, and that Wilson can deal with the rigors of a new offense and an evolving line.

Wilson was a successful quarterback when he had a cadre of coaches around him who were willing to develop a game plan around exactly the kind of throws he was good at. The cries of “Let Russ cook” ignored the fact that when Wilson was able to put the food together, he looked like someone who was trying to Ice machine under time pressure Chopped. Wilson doesn’t need to cook. He needs his meals ready to eat, Hungry Man style. The sooner we understand this, the better we can put his prime years into context and realize that without the ability to evade defenders in the backfield like he once did, Wilson will struggle to get back to being the player who won one Pro Bowl after another from 2017-2021.

Playing for Tomlin and playing with the players Tomlin drafts and covets is like an instant personality test. Wilson would have to shed a lot more than bad quarterback habits – I mean, remember TheAnd The? – so that he can be successful in the long term in a unique football community like Pittsburgh.

That’s why I think it’s only a matter of time before Fields gets his chance.