Proposed Dolphins trade for Tua Tagovailoa replacement hints at Steelers decision

This past offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up two starting quarterbacks which led to quite the quarterback battle in the Steel City heading into the 2024 season. They added Russell Wilson via free agency and Justin Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears.

While Wilson was expected to be the starter, he ended up injuring his calf before he could take the field in the regular season. In his absence, Fields has led the Steelers to two straight wins while looking solid running the offense.

Fields has been named the starter for Week 3 already against the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Steelers offense looks to be ready to break out with him at the helm. This has led to speculation that Wilson could spend the season on the bench or even end up on the trade block before 2024 is over.

NFL insider pitches potential Russell Wilson-Dolphins trade given Miami's desperation

ESPN's Dan Graziano (subscription required) went through a ton of different players that could be traded this year and where they might end up. He highlighted the Steelers' Russell Wilson and connected him directly to one potentially QB-needy team — the Miami Dolphins.

"OK, here's one with potential instant impact. Wilson (calf) is too hurt to play right now, and by the time he's healthy, there's a non-zero chance Justin Fields will have secured the starting job in Pittsburgh full time. If that happens, would the Steelers move Wilson to a desperate team with an injured QB looking to save its season...

"...Again, if they stay in contention and find out Tagovailoa isn't coming back this season, the Dolphins will be looking for signal-caller options," Graziano wrote.

For the Miami Dolphins, this would make sense if Tagovailoa misses significant time. As of now, everything is still questionable with the quarterback. If the day comes that he is either ruled out for the year or even retires early, a trade for Wilson would make perfect sense for Miami.

Wilson provides their explosive offense with a signal caller that could spend the next year or two winning games for them. Wilson isn't the talent that he used to be, but with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and a few others at his disposal, he could definitely lead Miami to the playoffs.

As for Pittsburgh, it's hard to imagine they would want to move forward with a QB room of Justin Fields and Kyle Allen. Fields is a mobile quarterback and these types of quarterbacks are injured far more often. But with Graziano bringing up Wilson as a trade target, that could mean the team won't be too quick to bench Fields if the multi-time Pro Bowler is cleared from injury.

Pittsburgh brought in two quarterbacks for a reason, so unless they're blown away by an offer, it's hard to imagine them moving Wilson. Unless they already made up their mind with Fields being their stater for the rest of the season.