Dating back to March when both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were acquired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin has made it clear that Wilson has pole position for the starting role. Even as Wilson was forced to sit out most of training camp with a calf injury and experienced a shaky preseason debut, nothing has changed with the depth chart.
Tomlin confirmed Thursday that things will remain status quo entering the final preseason game during his press conference.
“Nothing has changed in terms of the positioning of those guys, and yes he will start,” Tomlin said of Russell Wilson in a video posted on the Steelers’ YouTube channel.
Not that this is overly surprising, but the national shows on ESPN, NFL Network, and elsewhere have largely been pushing a narrative since Saturday’s preseason game that Fields is within striking distance for the starting job. One former GM even suggested that the Steelers should look to trade Wilson to the Minnesota Vikings and roll with Fields as the starter.
It’s unclear to me exactly what they saw in the preseason game to suggest anything should change with the depth chart. They each played five drives. Yeah, Fields managed the only three points that the Steelers scored in the game, but he was also playing against lesser competition while Wilson was playing against starters.
Wilson didn’t do anything great, but I wouldn’t exactly blame him for the offense’s struggles. He was sacked three times and there was a pre-snap penalty that kept the Steelers consistently behind the chains and out of rhythm. If anything, Wilson should receive an incomplete grade with no way to really evaluate him given the circumstances.
On paper, Fields had the better day. He completed 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 92 yards and took just one sack. He also rushed eight times for another 42 yards. Wilson completed eight of his 10 attempts for 47 yards. But Fields displayed a lot of the same issues that have plagued him over his first three NFL seasons. He wasn’t getting through his reads on time, he was bailing from the pocket and relying on his athleticism when it wasn’t needed, and he wasn’t taking chances with open receivers down the field.
This final preseason game is a simulation week for the Steelers. They are going through the week as if it is a regular season game on Saturday and preparing accordingly. That likely includes a little more game planning and hopefully a better product on the field.
Tomlin said “all healthy bodies” will be playing in the preseason finale. Wilson will once again get the start. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I wouldn’t expect that to change for the start of the regular season.
