ORLANDO, Fla. - Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said there is no quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh as the team moves forward for the 2024 season, despite the fact the team acquired a pair of players who were the primary starters for their respective teams last season.
Veteran Russell Wilson will be listed as No. 1 on the Steelers' depth chart once the team hits the practice field again, while Justin Fields will be No. 2. Where it goes from there is up to the players.
"We've been very transparent about the pecking order, at least to start," Tomlin said Sunday at the annual NFL meeting here in Orlando. "I just think that provides clarity for all parties involved. Russell is a veteran. He's got a proven process of readiness. He's been in this league a long time. He's capable of rallying troops, receivers, tight ends, running backs, etc. He's just got a lot of experience. And I just think that that's something that a younger guy like Justin could learn from. It provides clarity for all parties involved as they do some of the informal things that competitors do this time of year, whether it's coming together to work out at destinations and things of that nature. Rest assured, when it's time to compete, they'll be given an opportunity to compete, and it will allow those guys to sort themselves out.
"Russell's in pole position, I think his body of work you know, justifies that and, and just from my conversations with Justin, I know he he is excited about working alongside Russell and maybe learning some of those veteran tricks of the trade and things that he's picked up from being in this league for over a decade."
The Steelers signed Wilson, a 13-year veteran, earlier this month in free agency. Less than a week later, they acquired Fields, who is entering his fourth season, via a trade with the Bears.
That led to the team trading incumbent starter, Kenny Pickett, to Philadelphia in an exchange of draft picks.
Tomlin credited GM Omar Khan with quickly revamping the team's quarterback room.
"We just studied the field and levels of availability among some of the candidates in the field. We got zeroed in on Russell and Justin among them," Tomlin said. "The goal was to get one guy initially, but through conversation and work – and I can't give Omar enough credit – we were able to acquire both guys. With Kenny, from his perspective, he felt like a change of scenery would be a good thing. Obviously, when we felt the trajectory of the business with Chicago moving in the right direction, those dominoes started falling."
Wilson, 35, led the Seahawks to a pair of Super Bowls, winning once. He spent the past two seasons with Denver, which released him at the start of the new league year.
He owns a 115-7-2-1 career record as a starter, but was just 11-19 the past two seasons with the Broncos.
Tomlin said his conversations with Wilson prior to his signing showed the quarterback's desire to win was first and foremost.
"The biggest takeaway from those conversations is that he did his research," Tomlin said. "Prior to those conversations happening, he knew a lot about us, where we are, where we've got a desire to go, personnel, etc. I think probably the most attention-grabbing component was how thorough he had been in the research process regarding us.
"I think probably the most attractive component of his profile to me is his quest for greatness, his chase for legacy. This is not a guy who is hungry, meaning that he can be satisfied. This is a guy that's driven and you want to work with people who have that mindset. This guy's got a vision of what he wants his career to look like. And he's got a lot of work to do. Obviously, he's had some professional challenges, particularly in recent years, and he appears to be a guy that wants to meet those challenges head on and continue to move forward with his career, and that was attractive."
Wilson threw for just over 3,000 yards with 26 touchdown passes in 15 starts last season for the Broncos, completing 66.4 percent of his passes.
Fields, meanwhile, has seen his completion percentage increase in each one of his previous three NFL seasons, hitting 61.4 percent in 2023. He threw for 2,562 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 games, missing four games with a thumb injury. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2022.
"I'm excited about getting to know him and his skillset and what he can do," Tomlin said.
They'll replace the trio of Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, who combined to throw for 3,162 yards with 13 touchdown passes and nine interceptions in 2023.
The Steelers didn't necessarily go into the free agent period looking to completely change out their quarterback room. But that's what occurred.
"We're just trying to field the best squad we can field in an effort to achieve our ultimate goal, which is to win the Super Bowl," Tomlin said. "So there are no guard rails to that,and we're looking at all components of our team and all three phases to do so, the quarterback position obviously being a significant component of it."
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast
• Tomlin said the hiring of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith this offseason was almost a no-brainer for him.
Smith comes to the Steelers following three seasons as Atlanta's head coach. Prior to that, he was offensive coordinator with the Titans for two seasons.
Tomlin cited the fact Smith began his career in Tennessee working with former Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchack.
"We've had some battles against him in Tennessee and then we played him when he was in Atlanta," Tomlin said. "I respect his approach to ball and his values are very evident. They are aligned with the things we value, controlling the game with our big (men) and building from there. And then I have got some close relationships with some people that were really significant in his development and helped him establish some of the things he strongly believes in. … guys like Munch for example."
• Tomlin is looking forward to working with new inside linebacker Patrick Queen, who was signed by the Steelers in free agency after spending his first four seasons with the Ravens.
Queen, a first-round pick of the Ravens, was named second-team All-Pro and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2023.
"He's in all-situations linebacker, and so that's exciting," Tomlin said. "He's a guy that's a three-down player. He's a guy that can do do a lot of things, can tackle, can cover, can blitz, and he's 24-and-a-half years old. So he's got that great combination of youth and experience. And I think those are some of the reasons why we're really excited about bringing him on board, and I can't tell you how exciting it is just because of the familiarity, as well. We've seen a lot of him, he's seen a lot of us and you know, it's going to be an exciting marriage."
