While Justin Fields ran the Steelers’ first-team offense, Russell Wilson practiced all week and should be active Sunday. He dressed for the first five games of the season, but only as the emergency quarterback. Fields is expected to start tomorrow, but Wilson will be one snap away from playing, no matter the reason. I mean, Mike Florio thinks Wilson will start, but what does he know?
But how does that sit with Fields, especially knowing the Steelers are coming off two losses, to which he contributed? Does Wilson now lurking right behind him make it difficult for him to focus on doing his job? After all, he now understands that that job, his role, can change at any time.
“No,” Fields said, via the Steelers’ website. “I’m blessed to be here, so whatever my role is on the team, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability and work hard.”
Justin Fields has not been a backup since the start of his rookie season. The only games he hasn’t started since then have been games in which he couldn’t play due to injury. The first time Russell Wilson starts for the Steelers, assuming he does, will be Fields’ first game as a backup since he first entered the lineup for the Bears back in 2021.
But he knew that this year would be different. He said that he sensed immediately that the Bears wanted to trade him, based on his exit meeting. They held the first-overall pick and wanted Caleb Williams, so he was just grateful they allowed his input. That is how Fields ended up with the Steelers, which has allowed him to start these past five games.
But the question is, how many more games will he start? With Russell Wilson now healthy enough to start, it could be only a matter of time. Will Mike Tomlin have Fields on a short leash tomorrow, or will he allow Fields to finish the game if he struggles?
Justin Fields is 92-for-136 passing on the season for 961 yards with 5 touchdowns and an interception. He is taking a sack on nearly 9 percent of his dropbacks, which is actually slightly better than his average. He also has 172 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on 44 carries. But he also has a league-leading 5 fumbles, including multiple botched center exchanges.
The Steelers won their first three games with Fields playing largely conservatively, the defense holding things down. But they haven’t been able to rely on the defense the past two games, and Fields’ offense has come up short.
They nearly mounted an impressive comeback against the Colts two weeks ago, but they sputtered out in the end. At a critical moment, Justin Fields took a snap to the facemask, a product of confusion with the center.
While Fields took the blame for that, the Steelers simply can’t have those moments. That is one of the principal reasons I could see them turning to Wilson, especially if they continue to occur. This team simply isn’t good enough to overcome many mistakes, and Fields is more prone to making them.
