Pittsburgh Steelers Addition Capable of ‘Instant Impact’ May Surprise You

Kenny Pickett is a Philadelphia Eagle, Mason Rudolph departs as a free agent signing with the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Steelers plucked Russell Wilson out of the free agency bargain bin and traded for Justin Fields to complete one of the league’s biggest quarterback makeovers.

NFL Media’s Tom Blair put together a list of 10 newcomers around the league who will make an immediate impact in 2024, and his choice for the Steelers is Fields.

“None of the quarterbacks traded this offseason are guaranteed to start a single game in the near future,” Blair writes for NFL.com. “But, I wanted to write about at least one of them. Fields seems like the one who is most likely to impact the 2024 season. Even if he doesn’t get on the field, he could push Russell Wilson into playing like a winner again in Pittsburgh.

“And if Fields earns the QB1 job outright, he’ll have a chance to show how his skill set translates to wins for a legitimate playoff contender, which he hasn’t had the opportunity to do yet in the NFL.”

What Justin Fields Brings Pittsburgh Steelers

It remains to be seen just how “open” the Steelers’ quarterback competition will be this spring and summer.

But, there’s a belief inside the league that whether Fields opens the season as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback or Wilson’s top understudy, the former first-round pick will have a role.

“It’s a great situation the Steelers put themselves in this year,” an AFC Scouting Director told me recently. “They upgraded significantly at the quarterback position and gave themselves two options with different skill sets. It should be a good competition, but they can use both quarterbacks if Russell gets back to close to the form he was in Seattle.”

Last season, Fields rushed for 657 yards with four touchdowns in 13 games, which opens the door for Pittsburgh to find situations to use him near the goal-line or even on the field at the same time as Wilson, if he isn’t the starter.

“Good organizations make good moves like this,” the executive says.