Though Mike Tomlin hasn’t weighed in and there hasn’t been an official announcement, QB Justin Fields is looking like the Pittsburgh Steelers starter over Russell Wilson for the team’s Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos.
According to KOA Denver radio host Ryan Edwards, NFL Network Ian Rapoport indicated Fields is likely to keep the starting job through the weekend.
“I didn’t think he was particularly close to playing this week,” Rapoport told KOA Sports. “I know they kind of did the drawn out like workout or whenever. I did not think he was particularly close to playing. That makes me think that it’s probably gonna be another week.”
Fields played well enough to engineer victory in yesterday’s opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Though there were hiccups with exchanges and getting aligned properly, Fields was efficient when dropping back to pass and avoided making any critical mistakes. He and the Steelers didn’t turn the ball over while Atlanta gave it away three times, the difference in an 18-10 win.
Fields was officially named the starter right before kickoff after Russell Wilson tested his injured calf in pre-game warmups. Wilson reportedly told the team he was healthy enough to play, but erring on the side of caution, the Steelers held him out. It’s the second calf injury Wilson has suffered since late July. Speaking to reporters after the game, Tomlin said he accepted the “short-term misery” of not having Wilson instead of risking a worse injury.
Rapoport believes allowing Fields another week to prove himself is ideal.
“Seeing a little more of of Justin Field is not a bad thing. It’s really not. So to me, I think that would make a lot of sense. You say, you know what, let’s make sure Russ gets fully healed at which I think they want to. But getting getting fields out there again, seeing what you have, I think there’s a lot to like there. So that would be my sense of where things stand.”
Tomlin declined to discuss who would start against the Broncos, telling reporters he would address the matter during his Tuesday press conference. He and the team will likely monitor Wilson’s health throughout the week and see how Wilson moves and performs in practice.
Given the circumstances around the game, Wilson is hopeful he can be given the green light. The storyline of the weekend was expected to be about his return to Denver, where he spent two seasons before being released at the start of the new league year. Now, the question is about his health and whether or not he’ll remain on the sidelines as Justin Fields gets another shot.
