With Russell Wilson in consideration to start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7 against the New York Jets, the team could be benching QB Justin Fields, who has run for 231 yards and five touchdowns this season. Fields has used his legs well to extend plays and create on designed quarterback runs and scrambles, and Mike Tomlin admitted that Wilson doesn’t have the same mobility as Fields.
“No, he does not. Justin’s legs are an X factor,” Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference via the team’s YouTube channel.
Tomlin added that it “remains to be seen” if the offense changes with Wilson under center.
“And I think that’s one of the cute things about this discussion,” he said.
Without Fields’ mobility, there’s little doubt that some things will change in a Wilson-led offense. The Steelers won’t be running speed option, which they did in Week 6, for example, with Wilson under center. There likely won’t be designed quarterback runs with Wilson on the field, either. And while Fields’ ability to use his legs has been a benefit to the offense, there are things that Wilson does better that the Steelers can incorporate.
While the Steelers have taken their shots downfield with Fields, Wilson throws one of the better deep balls in the league, and the opportunity to further utilize the downfield passing game and throw the ball more exists with Wilson under center. But the offense would certainly change in some regard, although Tomlin did leave open the possibility for the Steelers to use both Fields and Wilson. That would allow the Steelers to still get the benefit of Fields’ mobility in certain situations and get the best out of both guys.
It’s not a given yet that Wilson will start, but it seems to be trending that way. Tomlin just said that Wilson is “in consideration” while NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that Wilson is “in line” to start and will get first-team reps in practice. Tomlin said that both Fields and Wilson will likely see first-team reps this week, though, so it’s not a guarantee that Wilson will be Pittsburgh’s starter. The offense is going to look different with Wilson, though, and it’ll be interesting to see just how different things might be without the benefit of Fields’ legs.
Pittsburgh’s offense certainly has room to grow, and Wilson could help improve the unit with his arm talent. We’ll see what decision Tomlin ultimately makes ahead of the Steelers’ Sunday night game.
