Insider isn’t ruling out Steelers pulling the rug out from under Russell Wilson

We are less than two weeks away from the season opener and the Pittsburgh Steelers have not officially named their starting quarterback. As QB jobs are etched in stone across the league, from Bo Nix in Denver to Gardner Minshew in Las Vegas, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields remain deadlocked in one of the most depressing tug-of-wars in recent memory.

Neither has done much to secure his position in the Steelers depth chart, thus leaving it up to Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith to formulate a strategy based on several factors, such as past experience, comfort level in the offense, and long-term upside. Depending on what the Steelers' coaching staff values, there is a case to be made for either QB.

Russell Wilson began the offseason as Pittsburgh's undisputed QB1. Mike Tomlin said as much when the Fields trade went through. As the weeks have passed by, however, we have seen Fields start to gain momentum. Wilson missed valuable training camp reps with an injury, while Fields at least supplies the illusion of upside when factoring age into the equation. He's a decade younger than Wilson.

While Russ appears to occupy pole position at the moment, Tomlin has willfully left the door open for Fields, which signals indecision in the front office. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the dust has still not settled on this position battle.

"My feeling is that Justin Fields has done enough to make this week interesting in Pittsburgh," writes Breer. "That doesn’t mean that, when it’s over, Mike Tomlin won’t step to podium and name Russell Wilson the Steelers’ starter. But the fact that we’re still talking about this—Tomlin has left the competition open after the Steelers’ last preseason game—is a very real indication of where Pittsburgh is at with its opener less than two weeks away against the Atlanta Falcons."

He says Fields winning the starting job is not "probable," but certainly "possible." The Steelers have evidently poured copious resources into Fields' development.

"The Steelers have put in a lot of work with Fields. After acquiring him, the offensive staff, led by coordinator Arthur Smith, did a deep dive into Fields’s football career with the Chicago Bears, as well as at Ohio State. They found a quarterback who lost confidence in three years in Chicago. And as they kept digging, they made the decision to take his footwork back to what it was, from a technical standpoint, with the Buckeyes."

Clearly there's investment in Fields' future, which should ensure that Wilson is fighting an uphill battle... right?

Steelers could still put Russell Wilson on ice after mediocre preseason

It's obvious that Fields should start. Russ has been a bottom-third starting QB for a few years now and he's inked to a one-year contract with no stake in the Steelers' future. Fields is also on an expiring contract, but he's somebody Pittsburgh can invest in if the production's there. Now, there is every reason for skepticism after Fields' milquetoast early-career numbers in Chicago, but the natural talent has never been in doubt. Fields has incredible speed and power as an athlete. The arm talent ain't great, but he can stress defenses outside the pocket and find unique delivery angles on the move. There's something there.

Pittsburgh has never been uncompetitive under Mike Tomlin. He runs a tight ship and generally puts his teams in the playoffs. Even with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph trading starts, Pittsburgh was able to sneak into the Wild Card a season ago. This is a new challenge for Tomlin, flanked on the sideline this season by a new offensive coordinator. Arthur Smith loves to run the football, to preach a balanced attack. In theory, Fields adheres more closely to his style of offense.

Here's what one NFL exec told The Athletic when discussing Fields' rank among potential starting quarterbacks.

"I can see people putting him as a [tier four quarterback], but if you have a good run game and he’s part of that run game, you can win. I don’t want to play him because of the way he can run the football. He is a dimension that this league does not have. He is Jalen Hurts on nitroglycerin. Fast, strong, physical, tough. I would not give up on him."

Wilson has a borderline Hall of Fame resumé, so of course he was going to start the summer as the leader in the clubhouse. Now that Pittsburgh is more intimately familiar with his current state, however, there's no reason to bench Fields in favor of, what, the 22nd best quarterback in the NFL?

The tank isn't completely empty on Russ, but it's not exactly half full either. Fields presents far more long-term upside for a team in need of a lasting solution to the QB crisis. Maybe Fields isn't that, but we know for sure that Wilson is not.

Only time will tell if Tomlin makes the right choice.