The Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason finale against the Detroit Lions is shaping up to be a big one.
A lot of roster decisions will be made coming out of the game, so it’s paramount that players put on their best showings possible in an effort to grab a spot on the 53-man roster, or even elevate themselves into a starting role.
That could even potentially include the quarterback situation, too, between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as the two continue to compete for the starting job. With a good performance Saturday in Detroit, Wilson could cement himself as the starter, but Fields won’t go down quietly.
For many, the starting QB job is on the line one way or another for the Steelers on Saturday.
Shockingly, ESPN’s Dan Graziano doesn’t see it that way.
Appearing on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike Conduct Friday morning, Graziano called it “hyperbole” that Wilson’s future could be on the line Saturday at Ford Field. He added that the Steelers believe Wilson is just now getting up to full speed in his recovery from the calf injury he suffered at the start of training camp.
“I think it is hyperbole, ’cause these coaches don’t…they’re not gonna base the whole decision on tomorrow’s preseason game. Like, he’s been practicing. This is the first week of training camp that Russell Wilson has been able to practice without any limitations,” Graziano said of the Steelers’ quarterback situation, according to audio via the show. “Remember, he pulled that calf muscle the day before camp started. So, they feel like they need to see in a game. The offense has done nothing in the preseason, zero, with anybody at quarterback. So they wanna see. If Russell Wilson can lead like one good drive that ends in a touchdown, then I think they’re all set. They’ll go with him. But if he struggles and looks like he can’t handle it and Justin Fields starts to look like he’s made progress on some of the basic technique things that they need him to be better at, then I think there’s a chance that Fields would get to start Week 1.
“But I think the strong likelihood is that it’s Russell, and I think they feel like they’ll see what they need to see tomorrow. If they don’t, they reassess. But they believe he’s just now getting up to speed with being able to practice fully.”
That last sentence there from Graziano is important. The Steelers believe Wilson is just now getting up to speed.
Wilson suffered the calf injury on July 24 during the conditioning test while pushing a sled. That caused him to miss the first four practices of training camp at Saint Vincent College, opening the door for Fields to receive QB1 reps right away.
To Fields’ credit, he took advantage of the opportunity.
Fields flashed quite a bit in the preseason opener against Houston after turning some heads in training camp practices and then made some impressive plays against Buffalo in the second preseason game. Despite some of those highlight-reel plays, Field has led the Steelers to just three points in the preseason.
Not exactly something to be overly excited about.
Coming out of the dreadful 9-3 loss to the Bills last Saturday, the offense was a major question mark. Wilson did not look all that great, either, though he was under siege from the jump against the Bills behind the porous offensive line.
Turns out, the offense was severely limited anyway from a play-calling perspective as the Steelers were still being cautious with Wilson, according to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
That shouldn’t be the case on Saturday at Ford Field, so Wilson is going to need to show something to the Steelers. If he is fully up to speed like Graziano reports the Steelers believe coming off the calf injury, there are no excuses left.
It is hyperbole to say that Wilson’s NFL future is on the line Saturday, but it might not be much of a stretch to say that the starting job is, especially if Wilson struggles.
