Mike Tomlin keeps setting both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields up to fail

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially named Russell Wilson as their Week 1 starter after a solid month of intense speculation within the fandom. Justin Fields made his case in training camp, and evidently, it was a strong one, but the Steelers are opting for the more experienced Wilson. For now. And maybe not for every snap.

Mike Tomlin continues to send off conflicting signals when discussing his quarterbacks. Wilson has ostensibly been the Steelers' QB1 since he signed in March, so why is Tomlin gassing up his alternate so much? Fields has been the recipient of nonstop praise from his new head coach and now, the Steelers are going out of their way to feature the Ohio State product despite his QB2 designation.

"My friend Raheem Morris better be ready for a Justin Fields package," Tomlin said on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday in reference to Pittsburgh's Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. "There's too much talent to be sitting around watching."

I don't know, man. Most backup quarterbacks just sit around and watch. Generally, those who are "too talented" for that are starting games and playing football.

The Steelers ran what appeared to be an earnest QB competition in training camp. The preseason games didn't supply much of a distinction between Wilson and Fields, so Pittsburgh went with their original pick. Russ has a decade on Fields and a Super Bowl on his resumé. That doesn't necessarily apply to Wilson's current footballing ability, but when two equal options are presented, teams will often err on the side of experience.

And yet, still the Fields hype persists. It can't make Wilson feel good about his station with the team.

Mike Tomlin keeps undermining both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields

The Steelers just need to handle this situation with more tact.

Russ is the starter — fine. Act like it. Talk about Russ like a starter, like the guy you want on the field. Not the guy you put on the field because you felt obligated to. Fields does have a ton of natural talent and there's a strong case to start him over Russ, but the Steelers aren't betting on upside. Instead, they're rolling with the more "ready" option.

Every time the Steelers hype up Fields and speak about his immense potential — while he's on a one-year contract, same as Russ — it reads as a direct shot at Wilson. Whether that is how Mike Tomlin intends it or not, it will prevent Wilson from feeling secure in his role. Maybe that means Wilson pushes harder and produces better. Or, maybe it means Russ begins the season pressing a little too hard, which leads to more turnovers and sacks than we're already expecting.

It's also unfair to Fields, who couldn't beat out 35-year-old, "benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham" Russell Wilson despite a well-publicized opening in training camp. Wilson spent the majority of camp building back his rhythm after a calf injury. Fields got reps with the first team and put himself on the map for Pittsburgh's coaches. And then, he still couldn't edge out Wilson for the job.

There's nothing inherently wrong with using Fields for the occasional RPO or whatever — we've seen it with Tayson Hill in New Orleans, for example — but the Steelers are clearly trying to set up Fields for a midseason ascension. We are watching in real-time as the seeds are planted for Fields' eventual QB1 takeover.

What happens when Fields finally gets the nod in, like, Week 7 and he bombs? There's a reason the Bears were fine trading Fields for a crumpled dollar bill and a sticky quarter. He has all this natural talent, but we haven't seen it materialize consistently in NFL games yet. He puts a ton of pressure on the defense as a runner, something Arthur Smith should take to, but Fields just can't throw it well. He is severely limited in his own right and there's no guarantee that he can deliver on the expectations being set by his own coaching staff.

It's all rather sad. The Steelers' QB room is clearly in a transitional state. It's hard to imagine Russ and Fields on the team next season. Fields should probably get the nod eventually since he can at least grow and evolve at 25 years old, but the Steelers aren't doing Russ or Fields any favors by telegraphing their intentions so clearly.