Steelers' Kyle Allen details watching Justin Fields from the sideline: 'I'm tearing my pants'

The Pittsburgh Steelers cleaned up their quarterback room after the 2023 season, signing three new players: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen. Head coach Mike Tomlin said the original plan was for Wilson to start. This made the most sense since he is the most proven of the three, having appeared in nine Pro Bowls and won one Super Bowl. Fields would back him up and Allen would be third team.

In football, things rarely go the way the coach intends, which was certainly the case in the Steel City. Wilson was injured well before the start of the season, forcing Fields to play. However, it also forced Allen to do the same. Because of his injury, Wilson was at the back, so they wouldn't use him unless it was an absolute emergency.

Allen is no newcomer. He went undrafted in 2018 and has spent time on multiple teams supporting players like Cam Newton and Josh Allen. He even started games, like when Dwayne Haskins (who later became a Steeler) was benched by the Washington Football Team (now the Commanders). He also started for the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans when they were injured, so he knows what it takes.

He recently accompanied his new teammate, Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz, on his show: The Christian Kuntz Podcast. Kuntz asked Allen about the pressure of being a backup, and he said people often come up to him and tell him he has the easiest job in the world. However, they have no idea how complex backup can be.

“I tear my pants on the sidelines every week watching Justin (Fields) get picked on by a D-end. As far as stress goes, that's just underrated, especially because Justin is hard now. Just like Justin will.” Take licks and stand up, that's what I learned about him. But there are some people where it's easy to get hurt, like on a deep dropback pass or a quarterback run like, “Oh God!” You see me doing squats on the sideline just in case that I have to go in. That’s always the stress for me when I have to get going and I don’t know when the time will come.”

Allen said another key component is knowing the man you're supporting and building a relationship with him. Now that he's worked with so many quarterbacks, he's seen how individual they all are. Some are quieter, others more hectic. Some are more open to hearing what the backup says, others are not. The backup must know what it needs.

Kuntz said he would argue that Allen has one of the toughest jobs in the league. Everything runs through the quarterback, and as a second or third player, you spend most of your time pretending to lead the upcoming opponent's offense for Pittsburgh's defense. However, you also need to know the Steelers' offense if necessary.

The Steelers' Russell Wilson may soon be ready

The Steelers are 3-1 heading into their Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Once again, Fields will be the focus. There were reports this week that Wilson was almost ready to go. It's hard to imagine Tomlin going against the hot hand and benching Fields.

That leaves questions about what will happen to Wilson. He's in Pittsburgh hoping to show he can still play at a high level, whether that means staying in the Steel City or being signed by another team. So how will he endure being on the bench once he's fully healed? Some feel that he will be very upset and that he has been lied to since Tomlin told everyone that Wilson was in “pole position.”

Fields has now had the best start to the season of his entire career. He also seems to be improving every week under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The players support Fields as the starter because, after all, winning means the most.

How challenging do you think it is to be a backup quarterback? Click here