The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for Justin Fields to make his third consecutive start at quarterback Sunday when the team faces the Los Angeles Chargers, coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.
Russell Wilson, who Pittsburgh named the starter in the preseason, continues to deal with a nagging calf injury that has limited him in practice. Tomlin said Wilson is scheduled to be limited Wednesday and the team will monitor his progression through the week.
Tomlin said the Steelers are “readying a plan that features Justin (Fields)” and will stick with it unless something changes.
“I’m not doing (Fields) any justice by talking hypothetical,” Tomlin said. “I want him focused. I’m focused on the next task, and until Russell gets to a state of readiness where he’s a consideration, I won’t be speculating on any of that in any way.”
Fields started in an 18-10 win against the Atlanta Falcons and 13-6 victory over the Denver Broncos to begin the season. He has only thrown one touchdown pass, but his 94.4 passer rating is the best he has had through two weeks of a season and he is completing 69.8 percent of his throws, also a career-best mark.
This was also the first season of his career in which he did not throw an interception in the first two weeks.
After Wilson missed Week 1, Tomlin said Pittsburgh would “be analyzing whether (Wilson is) capable of protecting himself, whether he’s capable of being productive” in practice.
Wilson initially injured his calf on July 24 while pushing a sled during the team’s conditioning test. The injury limited the 35-year-old during the first two weeks of training camp and forced him to miss the first preseason game. Leading up to the regular-season opener, he aggravated the calf during a routes-on-air segment of practice.
He left practice and was listed as a limited participant. Wilson was in uniform Sunday and served as Pittsburgh’s emergency third quarterback. Kyle Allen was the backup.
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Why the Steelers are continuing to roll with Fields
Wilson’s injury has created an opportunity for Fields to shake up the quarterback dynamic. However, to this point, Wilson’s health has been the biggest factor.
The most revealing quote from Tomlin was when he said, “My position regarding the pecking order and the depth chart has not changed guys, and it won’t until the other guy (Wilson) gets healthy, and then we’ll give it real consideration. Until then, I won’t speculate.”
It appears the Steelers aren’t necessarily resistant to Fields coming in and proving that he should be the long-term starter. But until Wilson’s calf heals enough that he can be in the conversation, Tomlin is not concerned with declaring one person QB1 for the future.
It’s also worth remembering that Tomlin said ahead of Week 1 that there would be a package for Fields, even if Wilson is the starter. Therefore, the former Bears quarterback will continue to play no matter what. The question: How much, once Wilson gets back to full strength? — Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer
What more does Fields need to show?
With every start, Fields gets another opportunity to prove he can be the future for the Steelers. Through two games, the new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has mostly called a run-heavy offense that features a short, quick passing game, with the occasional deep shot sprinkled in.
As a result, Fields has the best completion percentage of his career, the highest passer rating and has played turnover-free football. At the same time, that is partially a product of a more conservative approach, as Fields has also attempted a career-low 6.3 air yards per attempt and had dropped back a career-low 28 times per game.
As Wilson’s injury lingers, it will be interesting to see how much the Steelers open up their offense to put more on Fields’ shoulders. His dynamic mobility and big arm fit well in this offense. Still, he’ll need to score more than one touchdown every other game to definitively wrestle the job from Wilson. — DeFabo
(Photo: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)
