With Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields being more than serviceable so far, it clearly won’t be that easy for Russell Wilson to win his presumed job back.
The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year deal during the offseason, but less than a week later, they traded for Fields, causing mass confusion.
The wide speculation was that Wilson would be the starter, and he did eventually win the job. However, shortly afterward, he suffered a calf injury, prompting Fields to start.
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Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sept. 22. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
The Steelers are 3-2 with Fields, and Wilson has been able to take his time returning to health — but now, he’s lined up to finally be active this weekend.
However, considering Fields’ success, it is no surprise that head coach Mike Tomlin said Wilson is “probably going to be active as the No. 2 quarterback.”
“Like what I’ve seen out here, but health and rust are two different things. I thought he had a good week displaying his health, his ability to protect himself. Now it’s just the process of getting reacclimated to the ball,” Tomlin told reporters on Friday.
Russell Wilson, left, and Justin Fields of the Pittsburgh Steelers appear during the team’s OTA offseason workout at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in Pittsburgh on June 6. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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“I thought he had a good week,” Tomlin added. “He’s proven his health now. It’s just a matter of knocking the rust off.”
That verbiage sure sounds like the plan is to eventually get Wilson back into the fold, so perhaps Fields will have a short leash this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders.
But at the moment, Fields’ 67.6 completion percentage is a career-high, and he’s only turned the ball over twice this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields looks to pass during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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He’s also rushed for 172 yards in his first five games. While Fields is far off pace from the 1,000 yards he ran for in 2022, he’s certainly not costing the team games, which is pretty much all Pittsburgh could have asked for.
While with the Denver Broncos in 2022 and 2023, Wilson went 11-19 as a starter, completing 63.3% of his passes for 6,594 yards, 42 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
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