If Mike Tomlin needs another reason to stick with Justin Fields, here's a big one

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t have to invent any variables as to why he may want to keep Justin Fields as the team’s starting quarterback.

The Steelers are 3-1 with Fields starting as Russell Wilson recovers from a calf injury that the Steelers have been (to characterize mildly) extremely cautious to clear for game action.

Or even full practice participation.

Sure, Fields lost a fumble while taking a bad sack last week, and he had another botched snap exchange with center Zach Frazier en route to a 27-24 loss in Indianapolis. But he also ended the game with 312 yards passing while completing 22 of 34 throws for a 104.0 passer rating and a team-leading 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He threw for a score as well and was the primary reason why the Steelers nearly overcame a 17-0 deficit.

The former Chicago Bear has thrown just one interception so far in 2024 and is completing 70.6% of his passes (third-best in the AFC). Fields has posted a passer rating of 98.0, which is fifth best in the AFC at roughly the quarter-mark of the season — better than Justin Herbert (96.3), Aaron Rogers (92.9) and Patrick Mahomes (89.7).

Also, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is the only AFC quarterback with more rushing yards (308) than Fields (145).

Not to mention that Fields is a decade younger than Wilson, and if the Steelers decide to sign one of the two of them after the season is over, investing in Fields long-term would make a lot more sense.

A case can very easily be made that sticking with Fields is a prudent move even if Wilson is medically cleared to play.

Actually, I think I just made one.

Tomlin isn’t ready to go there yet, though.

“There’s a potential for that. But we’re not there as I stand here today,” Tomlin said Tuesday when given that scenario.

Eventually, though, a call will need to be made. The narrative surrounding Wilson’s injury after his training camp calf strain was aggravated before the season opener in Atlanta wasessentially that if it was a playoff game, Wilson could play.

Unless there have been setbacks we have been unaware of, he must be getting close to 100%. If he isn’t, maybe it’s best to shut down Wilson and put him on injured reserve.

But no one is even whispering about that, are they?

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Tomlin may be running out of straws to grasp and variables to introduce as to why Fields needs to stay the starter, as opposed to him just preferring to name Fields as such.

Let me try to be helpful and introduce one more — and there is some legitimate football logic behind it.

After two years of being nearly injury-free along the offensive line, good fortune has run out for the Steelers in that regard. That unit is extremely banged up.

Two players who began training camp as starters — center Nate Herbig (rotator cuff) and guard James Daniels (Achilles) — are on injured reserve. A third, Isaac Seumalo, has missed every game so far but may be able to return this week. Also, rookie right tackle Troy Fautanu was lost for the season due to a knee injury in Week 2.

As a result, the line has featured a rookie center (Frazier), a rookie guard (Mason McCormick) and two second-year players in Broderick Jones at right tackle and utility man Spencer Anderson mainly playing left guard.

Maybe it’s best if Tomlin keeps the mobile 25-year-old QB on the field behind that hodgepodge of a line at least this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys instead of tossing a rusty, injury-compromised 35-year-old who has been sacked 100 times over the past two seasons.

“It depends on what the work week looks like,” Tomlin said when I advanced that discussion. “It depends on what we’re forecasting in terms of pressure from Dallas. Those are variables that could weigh into that, but I’d be speculating to comment on it at this early stage of planning and development in the week.”

For context, the Cowboys only have eight sacks through four games. Twenty NFL teams have more. Of those eight sacks, three belong to DeMarcus Lawrence. He was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Another sack belongs to star linebacker Micah Parsons. He’s questionable with an ankle injury.

However, the Colts had eight sacks going into last week’s game. They racked up four against Fields and would’ve had a lot more if not for his escapability. So this might not be an opponent-dependent data point for Tomlin to consider.

This just might be a Steelers issue on offense that he and Arthur Smith are going to have to coach around until the reconfigured offensive line gets settled and gains some continuity.

From that perspective, it’s just another reason to go with Fields for at least one more week.

As if another one was really necessary.

Listen: TribLive’s Steelers beat writer Joe Rutter joined me after Mike Tomlin’s press conference for our weekly “Breakfast with Benz” podcast