After 18 years of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers are doing everything they can to solidify the quarterback position. Mitch Trubisky didn't work out. Kenny Pickett in the first round failed after just two seasons. Mason Rudolph wasn't brought back despite a strong month as starter. And now, the team is relying on either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields to work out.
With the organization favoring Wilson.
Mike Tomlin has been adamant from the very beginning that Wilson would have "pole position" at quarterback over Fields. And that's backed up now that, barring any injury setbacks, Wilson is starting Saturday night's preseason tilt against the Bills.
But Wilson's foothold at quarterback goes beyond the depth chart, as sources have indicated to me, that management has already been entertaining the idea of approaching him about a contract extension after the season.
Wilson has long had Tomlin's respect along with other executives in the front office. That's been confirmed throughout the first few months since Wilson signed his name on the dotted line to become the next quarterback in Pittsburgh.
"I just think that he's a personable guy. He's genuine," Andy Weidl told reporters prior to Thursday's joint practice with the Bills at Acrisure Stadium. "I knew him from being in the NFC and never beat him, knocked us out of the playoffs in 2019, but I think he's just a personal guy. He's a football lover. His preparation, how he works, takes care of his body. Just being around him, a really impressive guy. Always respected the player, obviously, and just getting to know the person it's been, it's been great to get to know him."
The same can be said for a lot of Wilson's teammates, too. In fact, that carries a bit more weight since Wilson has been at a huge disadvantage since the day players reported to Latrobe, Pa., for training camp. He injured his calf during the conditioning test and was limited for the vast majority of the three weeks the team was at Saint Vincent College.
But, Wilson remained as engaged as possible, taking mental reps at every chance he could and spending quality time with his teammates throughout the entirety of camp. And, when he did get on the field, the 12-year veteran looked the part of being a quarterback that will get Hall of Fame consideration.
Of course, this hinges on Wilson's on-field performance this season. After all, Wilson will turn 36 before Christmas and he's coming off a season in which he recorded career lows in passing yards (3,070) and yards per attempt (6.9). And, if Fields gets any crack at time as the starting quarterback, he could force the Steelers to consider a different strategy if he realizes his true potential.
That's why the Steelers have maintained a united front in being noncommittal with their comments on playing the upcoming season with three quarterbacks on expiring contracts.
"I think you just let them play itself out. You can't worry too much down the road," Weidl said Thursday. "You keep an eye on it, but you just take it one day at a time, watch these guys go out there and perform and evaluate and make decisions based on at the end of the day, at the end of the season, you'll know."
For the Steelers to already be blown away by Wilson to the point of considering a contract extension after the season concludes, they have to be convinced that this situation in Pittsburgh is going to work out much better than it did for Wilson in Denver.
MORE STEELERS
• The recent injury to Nate Herbig could be the death blow to his chances at being the starting center. But, even before he left the final practice of training camp with an undisclosed injury, Zach Frazier already had a leg up on Herbig.
I'm told that the plan right now is for Frazier to be the starting center in Week 1, and that plan was set in motion prior to Herbig's injury. The preseason opener did play a role in the decision, but not necessarily because of the center-quarterback exchange issues. Rather, just because Frazier played well enough to convince decision-makers that he's ready to be the guy he was drafted to be right away.
It's also worth noting that Frazier has been getting quite a bit of praise from his teammates, including Wilson and Fields.
"Zach is a young rookie and just seeing his ability to communicate, his ability to be just so hyper focused, you can tell he's played a lot of college football games at a high level, and that matters to us," Wilson said Wednesday. "The more good players and great players you have, the better. We want all those guys to be ready to rock and roll. I'm really excited about who Zach is as a player."
"Zach's a hard worker. He's humble, doesn't say much, but boy, he works," Fields said after Thursday's practice. "I'm glad to have him on the O-line. He's a strong, strong boy. He's smart, too. It's great to see a rookie that young, that smart, controlling where the protections are going. I'll flip the protection, and he'll have already done it before I even do it sometimes. Just seeing that from him, knowing how smart he is, it's definitely a good thing to see."
• The Steelers love what they've seen from Troy Fautanu. And had he not sprained his left knee in the preseason opener against the Texans, he might be in position alongside Frazier to win a starting job right away, too.
However, I'm told the prognosis for Fautanu is four-to-six weeks, which rules out any chances of playing in either of the two preseason games. The season is just three weeks away from Sunday. That would be right at the earliest possible window of Fautanu returning, which makes it hard to fathom he'd start at right tackle when the Steelers take the field in Atlanta on Sept. 8. If he's unable to log any real time in practice before the start of the season, there's no way he can start.
At this point, at best, it's a waiting game to see how quickly Fautanu heals.
• The latest update on the Brandon Aiyuk situation is ... there's nothing new to update. The Steelers have an offer on John Lynch's desk, and all he has to do is call Omar Khan and tell him the deal is done if the 49ers' extension talks with Aiyuk fall through. And, I don't expect any more twists and turns in this saga. This is in its final stage. Now, the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King took forever, and this situation may drag on and on as such. But, we are down to either the 49ers and Aiyuk get an extension done or they trade him. That's it.
• Going to re-emphasize what I've already reported, but saying it louder for the people in the back: There is no first-round pick in the Steelers' offer for Aiyuk.
• Nothing new to report on any extension talks with Cam Heyward, Pat Freiermuth, Najee Harris or any other internal candidate. And, I don't expect there to be anything new on that front until the Aiyuk situation is resolved, one way or another. I'm told the Steelers want to see what happens with Aiyuk before they really engage with any of these guys. The season doesn't start until three weeks from Sunday. There's still time to get these contracts done.
• There is legitimate concern about who can be solid contributors on special teams, specifically as a gunner on punt coverage. Beanie Bishop had a tough showing against the Texans, and he's got enough to worry about in keeping his leg up on the nickel corner job. And, nobody else has taken the bull by the horns as a gunner on this team. That was evident in the joint practice with the Bills on Thursday.
I'm not convinced Khan won't bring somebody in from the outside at either nickel corner or to possibly give the Steelers a true gunner in punt coverage. Bottom line: The Steelers don't have one yet. That could change in three weeks, maybe even on Aug. 27 when many players are released on cut down day.
