After returning as a full participant in practice this week, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson is likely to be active for the first time in a game all season. Mike Tomlin announced after Friday’s practice that Wilson will be active and the No. 2 QB to Justin Fields Sunday in Las Vegas, per a clip posted by The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo on X.
“I thought he had a good week. He’s proven his health. Now it’s just a matter of knocking the rust off,” Tomlin said. “He’s probably gonna be active as the number two quarterback. Like what I’ve seen out here, but again, health and rust are two different things.”
With Tomlin announcing on Tuesday that Wilson would be running with the second team as the Steelers gauge how his body responds to a full week of work, this was the expected outcome all along. They were preparing Fields as the starter, and that is how things will work out in Week 6 against the Raiders.
With Wilson active, that opens the door for some potential in-game controversy. Wilson had previously been suited up, but as the No. 3 emergency quarterback. This means he was only eligible to come into the game if both of the other two quarterbacks got injured. Now, he can be put in at any time. That means if the Steelers have another three-point first half, or if Fields has his first barrage of interceptions this season at the wrong time, Tomlin would have the option to make a change at his whim.
This also opens the door for quite the intriguing lead up to Week 7. Tomlin might just hide behind the “rust” comments that he made, but it is becoming harder and harder to remain non-committal on who the actual QB1 is. For what it’s worth, Wilson is still listed as the starter on the official depth chart. It feels like a loss against the Raiders, which would be a third-straight defeat, would bust the door wide open for Wilson to step back in as the starter.
There is a lot of pressure on Fields to have a get-right game after his worst start of the season in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.
