With Russell Wilson healthy and ready to make his Pittsburgh Steelers debut tonight against the Buffalo Bills, Mike Tomlin is adding kindling to the team’s quarterback battle. Speaking with Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola, Tomlin threw a spark on the competition between Wilson and Justin Fields.
“It’s been a great process,” Tomlin told Labriola in his weekly gameday interview. “Now that Russ has full health, it’s going to heat up over the next couple of weeks, and I’m excited about watching it happen.”
Mike Tomlin noted that the state of the race hasn’t changed much, declaring Wilson in “pole position,” the same framing he’s used throughout the spring and summer. Wilson will start over Fields against the Bills, with the Steelers starters expected to play four series. Tomlin didn’t provide a timeline on how much Fields will play, but he figures to see a good chunk of time, likely well into the second half.
For more than half of training camp, Pittsburgh’s battle was a one-man show. A calf injury during the team’s conditioning test shelved Wilson for the first half-dozen practices, the team intentionally being careful with Wilson to avoid a small injury from becoming a serious problem. His work didn’t ramp up until after the preseason opener, and the training wheels were taken off over the final five practices. Though much of his time was spent handing the ball off, he still logged nearly 150 reps during the team period and threw over 50 passes. When he dropped back, Wilson flashed a big-time arm with great touch and placement, completing over 70 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Fields impressed and progressed throughout the summer, finding more consistency as practices progressed. He took advantage of the extra reps, and the team got a longer look at his play than they otherwise would’ve had Wilson been fully healthy. With Fields likely starting the season as the backup, this might be the team’s best chance to evaluate his play.
As for the timeline for declaring a starting quarterback, all Mike Tomlin would say is “before the opener.” Not exactly a helpful guide. But he’s in no rush to make that decision right now, and the official word isn’t likely to come until September, when Tomlin holds his first press conference ahead of the team’s opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
