Fittipaldo: Steelers in 'perfect position' to make move to Russell Wilson at QB

Two weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were riding high on QB Justin Fields, 3-0. Two weeks later, the Steelers are 3-2 after losing two straight games by one point. The most recent was a 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night and into Monday morning, in which the Steelers' offense stalled for long stretches. Do back-to-back losses open the door for QB Russell Wilson to reclaim the starting job?

“The repetitive thing is that there’s no connection, like there aren’t enough big plays,” Ray Fittipaldo said on Monday’s episode of the North Shore Drive Podcast. “With Justin Fields at quarterback, there weren’t enough points. And we'll see where Russell Wilson is next week. I think, Chris, this is a good time to take this step. You signed Russell Wilson as the starter, you suffered a loss. And if things go wrong with Russell Wilson at any point during the season, you know for sure that you can go back to Justin Fields and he can help you win games. So I think this is the perfect place for this step. We’ll see if Mike Tomlin pulls the trigger.”

This is the scenario that has been facing the Steelers since Wilson injured his calf on the eve of training camp practice. Fields benefited from the extra reps in training camp and showed improvement. And when Wilson was healthy, he was named the starter. Then he injured his calf before the start of the regular season and Fields started all five games.

But the prospect of Wilson returning once he's fully healthy was in the background of every game. Fields hasn't blown anyone away with his stats, which has certainly left the door open. But it was hard to imagine Tomlin and the Steelers poaching him if he kept winning.

Now that the Steelers have lost two games in a row, the topic is much easier to broach. It can be argued that Fields played quite well against the Indianapolis Colts last weekend and was a big part of why the team even had a chance to win in the end.

However, Fields was less effective against the Cowboys. He completed just 15 of his 27 pass attempts for 131 yards. He threw two touchdowns and gave the Steelers the lead late in the contest. He also carried the ball six times for 27 yards.

Now the Steelers and Tomlin have to ask themselves if Fields is the reason the offense is struggling. The offensive line is taking a hit with OT Troy Fautanu and G James Daniels on injured reserve. And no one emerges as a reliable receiving option opposite WR George Pickens. And even he wasn't the most reliable and for some reason was on a fast track against the Cowboys.

And if they believe Fields is the biggest problem, do they believe Wilson can solve the other problems? Because regardless of the other issues, Fields ran the ball better than RB Najee Harris. Harris has nearly twice as many rushing attempts, but Fields averages more than half a yard more per carry than Harris. Harris is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry while Fields is averaging 3.9 yards per carry. And given injuries at the starting running back position, Fields has 44 rushing attempts in five games. He is an integral part of the rushing attack and is arguably the most effective part right now.

So the Steelers need to figure this out: Does Wilson improve the passing game enough to overcome the loss of Fields' ability to generate yards on the ground and overcome problems on the offensive line? If Wilson can improve the passing game, the Steelers will become a much more dangerous team than they currently are.

Or will the Steelers simply turn to Wilson because they previously named him the starter? Playing games with the starting quarterback isn't really going to help anyone in the long run. The Steelers are trying to be competitive this season, which is why they would consider a move. But jogging Fields as a starter won't benefit him or the team in the long run.