As he gets closer to full health, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson could be closer to getting back onto the field as the starter for the Black and Gold, too.
His return to health might not be coming at a better time for the franchise, either, after two straight losses in frustrating fashion to the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys. During the loss to the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, the Steelers’ offense couldn’t do much of anything and squandered a 3-0 turnover margin, scoring just 17 points as quarterback Justin Fields struggled, receivers did very little, and the run game was almost non-existent in the 20-17 loss.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who appeared on the Pat McAfee Show Monday afternoon, a decision is looming for Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin, meaning Wilson could soon get his chance to play for the Steelers.
“Well, Russ has been getting healthier and healthier, and I think he’s now at the point where he’s healthy enough to play. So that’s gonna be a Mike Tomlin decision. I think at some point in time here, it’s not gonna surprise me if they turn to Russell Wilson, I don’t know whether that’s next week or the week after, but Justin Fields, like they’ve lost two straight games now. The Steelers have, and that’s not all on Justin Fields at all,” Schefter said of the Steelers’ quarterback situation, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “But they’ve lost two. When you’re winning every week as they were the first few weeks of the season, you’re not making a quarterback change. When you’re losing? That opens the door to discussion and conversation about, is it worth it to go to a guy like Russell Wilson? And I just think that that’s a conversation they’re going to have. I don’t know ultimately what they’re going to do, but Russell’s at the point now where he was considered the guy when they first [signed] him.
“Mike Tomlin anointed him as the starter. He hurt his calf. Justin took over and played well. They won. Now they’ve lost two in a row, now Russell’s healthier. So there are some elements at play here that I think lead to a discussion that I don’t know ultimately what they’ll decide to do, but I do think at some point in time, Russell’s gonna get a chance.”
That all makes perfect sense, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a quarterback change, giving Wilson the opportunity to hit the field and try to spark the Steelers’ offense.
Schefter’s comments align with the comments that Sunday Night Football’s Melissa Stark made during the game after speaking with Wilson earlier in the week, with Wilson stating that he was ramping it up this past week and believes he’ll be ready to go for the Week 6 road trip to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Wilson made those similar comments to NBC’s Mike Tirico prior to the game, too.
So if Wilson is feeling good and thinks he’s ready to get back on the field, then there’s going to be a discussion at the quarterback position for the Steelers, especially after two losses and some mistakes offensively.
It won’t be a surprise if the Steelers turn to Wilson. He was named the starter coming into the season, but then got hurt on the Thursday before the season opener, causing him to miss the first five games of the season. He ramped it up during the week, at least returning to 11-on-11 work in practice this past week, which is a key benchmark.
We’ll see if the Steelers make the change for Week 6 against the Raiders, but it seems like that change could be coming in the next few weeks regardless as the Steelers seem set to give Wilson a shot to prove himself after investing in him this offseason.
Mike Tomlin meets the media Tuesday, and it’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say regarding the quarterback situation.
