Mike Tomlin left the door wide open for Russell Wilson to log his first start in Black and Gold during his Tuesday press conference, though he didn’t fully commit either way. He said that decision would be made later in the week, likely during the abbreviated Friday press conference that he has been doing lately.
He fielded some questions from the media after Wednesday’s practice and declined to name a starter.
“Any decisions that I’ve made at this point are in-house,” Tomlin said in a video posted by Amanda Godsey on X.
Even though he has declined to name a starter, it sounds like there may be some progress “in-house” on who the Steelers are preparing for their Sunday game against the New York Jets.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported shortly before Tomlin’s Tuesday press conference that Wilson was “in line” to get first-team reps and make his first start for the Steelers. Again, not the strongest language to suggest he will start, but multiple signs are pointing toward that being the case.
Wilson injured his calf the day before the first practice of training camp during the conditioning test. He aggravated that injury just days before the season opener, which he was scheduled to start. Since then, Justin Fields has led the Steelers to a 4-2 record with obvious improvement over his tenure with the Chicago Bears.
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor posted a video from practice that showed Wilson getting first-team reps ahead of Fields in the individual drills. That doesn’t confirm anything, but it is another hint of the Steelers’ intentions.
If Wilson starts, there will be an awful lot of pressure on him. Many are already criticizing the Steelers’ approach and think Fields should be allowed to continue given the record. But the fact remains that Tomlin has stayed strategically ambiguous with the QB situation all season to allow for maximum flexibility. Wilson has remained atop the depth chart all season long, so it appears the Steelers are simply staying the course with their initial intentions.
The Jets will likely find out when the rest of us do later in the week what the true plans are. Perhaps a little gamesmanship from Tomlin this week. Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich said they have “answers either way” for Wilson and Fields during his Wednesday press conference.
