As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for their home opener on Sunday against the 2-0 Los Angeles Chargers, they are doing so with the idea that Justin Fields will once again be their starting quarterback.
Mike Tomlin spoke to the media in his normal Tuesday afternoon slot, and basically gave a non-update with a lot of the same messaging as last week. Russell Wilson is not scheduled to be a full participant in practice, and they will proceed with Fields as he is who is available to them right now.
“Really, we’re kind of in the same posture as we were last week with Russ,” Tomlin said via video posted on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “As I sit here today, Russ is not scheduled to be a full participant in practice and so we’re readying a plan that features Justin and his readiness.
“We’ll follow Russ throughout the week, and if his participation gets to a level—participation and quality—where we should consider him, we’ll delve into that at that time. And obviously when that happens is a component of the consideration.”
As he did last week, Tomlin said Wilson’s practice participation and the quality of his participation will be the guide for when he is able to start working back into the fold.
This is in line with a report from Steelers insider Gerry Dulac last week that Fields was expected to start the next two games, including the one just played against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
During Sunday’s pre-game broadcast on FOX, Jay Glazer revealed that an MRI showed a strain for Wilson. Going back to when Wilson first spoke to the media after the reaggravation, he said they were fortunate with the results of the testing that it wasn’t a more serious issue. So it is probably a little worse than they let on, but clearly not bad enough to prevent him from suiting up as an emergency third quarterback or from being placed on IR.
In the meantime, Fields has contributed to a 2-0 start for the Steelers. It hasn’t been flashy, but he has not turned the ball over a single time and continues to find success in the deep-passing game, even if some of those have been negated by penalties.
We will see if Wilson is able to log a full practice by the end of the week to change the current plans. Tomlin has been clear that the veterans don’t always need a full week of practice or even a full practice on Friday to be ready. That being said, there is no reason to rush Wilson back to a team that is 2-0 with Fields under center.
