Pittsburgh still preparing for Justin Fields to start vs. the Raiders
After five weeks with Justin Fields at the helm, the Pittsburgh Steelers begin this week “in a little bit different place” at quarterback, head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.
For the first time since the regular season began, nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson is healthy enough to be a “scheduled full participant” in Wednesday’s practice.
How Wilson performs Wednesday and beyond will shape the Steelers’ depth chart at the position.
“First we’ll see if he’s able to obviously pull it off and get through the session,” Tomlin said Tuesday afternoon. “We’ll see where that leads us.”
Fields, the Chicago Bears’ 2021 first-round draft pick, has led the Steelers to a 3-2 record in Wilson’s absence. Fields has completed 67.6% of his 136 attempts for five touchdowns and one interception in addition to a 97.1 passer rating. He has also rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns, and fumbled five times.
Tomlin chose not to crown Fields the Steelers' season-long starter in Wilson’s absence. And Wilson’s ability to return to full participation signals a crack in Fields’ security at the position.
“I think the fact that he’s a full participant is a door that’s ajar,” Tomlin said of Wilson. “But to say any more than that is to speculate.”
Wilson will begin integrating into full practice with second-team snaps “as to not disrupt Justin’s preparation,” Tomlin said.
“Until Russ gets to a point where we’re comfortable with what we’re looking at, he’s able to execute the offense and schematics, he’s able to put together back-to-back consecutive days and so forth, I just think that’s a hypothetical conversation,” Tomlin said. “We’re going to continue to push forward with Justin until those things are legitimate and then we’ll make those decisions accordingly.”
Both quarterbacks arrived in Pittsburgh this spring after challenges at their prior stops. Fields presided over three losing seasons in Chicago before the Bears traded him to Pittsburgh in anticipation of drafting USC product Caleb Williams first overall.
The Denver Broncos released Russell Wilson when head coach Sean Payton sought a different direction at quarterback. The Broncos’ megadeal with Wilson gave the Steelers a huge financial break, Wilson costing Pittsburgh the veteran-minimum $1.2 million while Wilson consumes $53 million in dead cap space for Denver.
Neither quarterback is under contract with Pittsburgh after this season.
Tomlin said Wilson was in “pole position” for the starting job, giving him the nod even after a calf injury sidelined him for most of training camp and gave Fields chances to outpace the veteran.
But when Wilson aggravated the calf injury ahead of the opener, Fields started.
His efficiency and production seemed to improve from Week 1 to Week 4, when the Steelers suffered their first loss against the Indianapolis Colts. Fields had costly fumbles in that game but nearly led a comeback with 376 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns. He showed his most command of downfield passing that game, also notching two scores with his legs.
But against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football this past week, Fields threw for 131 yards a week after 312. He still passed for two touchdowns, but opportunities to capitalize on Cowboys turnovers evaporated as the Steelers converted a season-low 25% (3-of-12) third-down attempts.
The Steelers recovered Fields’ lone fumble but still ended up in third-and-24 and then punting afterward.
Could the Steelers benefit from Wilson’s arm talent?
“I think that’s somewhat speculative because he hasn’t performed here,” Tomlin said. “I think that will get revealed when he gets an opportunity to perform here and be revealed with more clarity the more he performs here.”
The Steelers have navigated a rotation at offensive line due to injuries, which Tomlin said is contributing to their slow starts while not affecting “our ability to secure victory over the course of 60 minutes.”
Wilson’s mobility to protect himself in light of a makeshift line will factor into any lineup change.
Wilson, who played in two Super Bowls and won one with the Seattle Seahawks, has completed 64.7% of passes in his career while throwing for 334 touchdowns to 106 interceptions.
He was perennially efficient and productive in 10 Seattle years, averaging a 101.8 passer rating before struggling through his first Broncos season (88.4 rating) and rebounding the following year (98.0). The Broncos went 7-8 last year with Wilson, but he averaged 204.7 yards per game while throwing for 26 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
Wilson’s health and performance as he ramps up in practice will guide what’s next.
“The limited participation guys, we let the amount of participation and the quality of that participation be our guide,” Tomlin said. “In terms of whether or not we include them and how much we include them as we push forward toward game time, it remains the same at that [quarterback] position.”
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