PITTSBURGH —After working as a full-participant last week at practice, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is “in consideration” to play — and possibly start — this week against the New York Jets, coach Mike Tomlin said.
Tomlin said that at some point in the week he expects Wilson to take some of the first-team reps, but “who gets the ball first and that sort of minutia has been undecided.”
“Both guys at the quarterback position are scheduled to work tomorrow and we’ll just walk it day-by-day, all geared toward putting ourselves in the best position to win the football game,” Tomlin said.
Ahead of the season, Tomlin named Wilson the starter following a so-called camp competition with Justin Fields. However, when Wilson re-injured his calf in the days leading up to the opener, Pittsburgh pivoted to Fields.
Through the first several weeks of the season, any decision was largely taken out of Tomlin’s hands because Wilson wasn’t healthy enough to even be a consideration. However, the situation began to come to a head last week when Wilson worked as a full participant through all three practices. He was active for the first time as QB2 during the Steelers’ decisive victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tomlin said that Wilson proved his health last week and was able to execute all of the schematics, including the read-option and bootlegs that require him to use his mobility. The next step is for Wilson to show he’s knocked off enough rust to be ready for game action.
To this point, Wilson hasn’t taken any first-team reps since Week 1. Tomlin said that one advantage Wilson has is that he’s in his 13th season, which could help him get back up to speed more quickly.
“There’s a totality of his resume as well that makes you more comfortable than guys with shorter resumes, in that regard, in terms of the ability to play ball on a limited amount of exposure,” Tomlin said. “I have that mentality about guys across positions and we’ve had discussions before with veteran players. There’s just a comfort that comes with experience.”
Last week, Wilson himself was more than confident he’d be ready if called upon.
“I have not a doubt in my mind once I step between the white lines, I’ll be ready to go,” Wilson said.
In Wilson’s absence, Fields was an offensive catalyst lifting the Steelers to a 4-2 record. He was playing some of the best football of his career, with bests in completion percentage (66.3) and passer rating (93.9). On the year, Fields has thrown for five touchdowns and 1,106 yards through the air and rushed for 231 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
While Fields was inaccurate in some cases and slow to work through his progression in others, in many instances his rushing ability was the best thing going for the offense. He’s also largely protected the football, throwing just one interception. That said, he has fumbled six times, but several of those were recovered by the offense.
“Justin has been really good and we’ve been really good at times, but not to be confused with great,” Tomlin said. “This is a competitive league man. We’re trying to position ourselves to be that team and we got a player (in Wilson) with talent who hadn’t had an opportunity to play. So we’re going to potentially explore those things.
“Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what Justin has done or has not done. Justin has been an asset to us. Man, last week for example, his ability to utilize his legs, by design and by ad-lib, was a significant component of that game. He rushed for 50-plus yards and two touchdowns in game. We’re appreciative of that. We’re appreciate of how he’s taking care of the ball. But we’re looking at all the people at our disposal the same way we do at any position.”
One important factor to consider in all of this is how Tomlin explained the quarterback dynamic initially all the way back ahead of Week 1. The coach named Wilson the starter but said that there would be a package for Fields.
Asked if both quarterbacks might play on Sunday against the Jets, Tomlin said, “There could have been a scenario where that could have occurred last week.”
While the Steelers will have to decide on a starter and figure out exactly how they want to split up the reps, there’s a high likelihood that the answer to this quarterback discussion is some level of “both.”
Even if the Steelers turn to Wilson, Fields should be presented with opportunities to play and showcase his rushing ability. Depending on how Wilson fares as a Steelers, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be an automatic upgrade after two tumultuous seasons in Denver, this could be an evolving conversation that changes based on performance and opponent.
Asked when he’ll officially name a starter, Tomlin said, “I don’t know. Closer to game time.”
(Photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
