With Russell Wilson returning to practice on a limited basis today, the Pittsburgh Steelers got to see both him and Justin Fields in action against a live defense for the first time in training camp. In an interview with CBS Sports, head coach Mike Tomlin said he’s excited about the trajectory and competition in the quarterback room.
“We got two really capable guys. Guys that are comfortable being the guy. We’re gonna create an opportunity where they get an opportunity to compete and show what they’re capable of,” Tomlin said in an interview with CBS Sports’ Evan Washburn. “We’ve been really consistent of the positioning of it throughout the offseason, we described it as Russ having pole position, meaning that they’re gonna be given an opportunity to compete but I just think it’s really important to lean on his experience and expertise relative to the things that come outside of playing, to provide direction to the unit.
Tomlin also praised Fields for his work early in training camp.
“Justin has really taken advantage of the opportunity for additional snaps because Russ’s been out some here the first week,” he said. “And so really excited about the trajectory of it, excited about it, continue to go with the process and having them display their skills.”
This is the most in-depth Tomlin has gone about the quarterback competition nature of the quarterback room, elaborating about the “pole position” placement on Wilson. Given his pedigree and NFL experience, it makes sense to lean on him as the guy leading the room and the offense to start camp. Back in March, Tomlin said that Fields will compete when “appropriate,” and it seems as if it’s at least a little bit of a competition, even though Wilson will likely end up starting.
Fields got the extra opportunity to reps due to Wilson suffering a calf injury during the team’s conditioning test, and while there were some flashes, there were also moments that showed why Wilson will have the inside track to start. Fields is going to have to become better with his processing and accuracy to win the job. Some of his struggles in those areas have shown themselves early in camp.
With Wilson progressing back into a normal workload, he’ll likely take the bulk of the first-team reps when he’s ready, but Fields will still have an opportunity to compete at least a bit and show that he can lead the offense. It would be a surprise, though, if Wilson didn’t win the job.
For the Steelers and Tomlin, it may have been a blessing in disguise to get Fields some extra reps. They got an expanded view at how he’d look with the first-team offense. That can be useful in their evaluation of the room and get a feel for what Fields could provide if he does start at some point.
There’s no doubt that it’ll be an interesting few weeks as the process plays itself out in camp and as Wilson gets back to 100%, but so far he’s seemed to embrace that leadership role and the responsibilities that come with being QB1. He got back in a limited capacity today and reportedly looked good. While he’s more than likely going to win the job, he’s going to have to continue to play well with the door open just a crack for competition.
