The Pittsburgh Steelers officially named Russell Wilson their starting quarterback on Aug. 28. He has not played a snap since then, and it is not clear when or if he will. For now, that is out of his control, Wilson unavailable to due injury. But if Justin Fields continues to play well, Wilson risks losing his starting job even when healthy.
The Steelers are 2-0 this season with Fields, Wilson dressing as the emergency third quarterback. He isn’t even yet at the stage of dressing as the direct backup, assuming there are any stages to return.
Asked if he has any concerns about possibly losing his place on the depth chart the more time he misses, Russell Wilson evaded the question on Thursday. “I’m just focused on me every day”, he said, via the Steelers’ website. “Just focus on me being fully healthy. I have full confidence in our football team, and that’s really what matters to me”.
While that is a very Russell Wilson answer, it is also a mature answer and what you expect from leaders. He put the Steelers above himself at the expense of himself. I can’t imagine anybody objecting to that, even if he didn’t answer the question. Still, some wonder if we might eventually hear his answer from the mouths of others.
Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday, once again, that the Steelers are preparing as if Justin Fields is the starter this week, citing Russell Wilson’s health. Wilson is practicing somewhat but in a limited capacity and will likely be inactive again Sunday.
If the Steelers keep winning with Fields, then Tomlin could soon drop the caveats about Wilson’s calf. His veteran quarterback might not privately handle that very well—he has never been a backup before in the NFL and certainly doesn’t want to be—but he has to make the best decision for his football team.
While the Steelers are not lighting up the scoreboard with Justin Fields, they are playing pretty good football. At least they are playing well when they are not ruining their own plays. Like, say, a beautiful 51-yard pass negated by an avoidable holding penalty.
But so much of what the Steelers are doing well now is independent of the quarterback. What Fields is doing best right now is protecting the football and making smart decisions. Russell Wilson can play that style as well, and he still has an arm to throw down the field.
Is there really anything the Steelers can’t do with a healthy Russell Wilson that they are doing with Justin Fields? At least beyond Fields’ superior athleticism, I genuinely don’t think that is the case. Wilson isn’t exactly in the prime of his career, but we’ve seen so little of him that I think people may be forgetting his ability.
