Will Russell Wilson start for the Steelers before the bye week?
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson will participate in practice fully today for the first time since aggravating his calf injury. Mike Tomlin confirmed as much yesterday, but he also cautioned that they have to see how he responds first. Either way, we are clearly headed in the direction of his physical ability to return to play.
Barring any further setbacks, that means Tomlin will soon have to decide whether to continue playing Justin Fields or “switch” to his QB1 on the depth chart, and the team’s offensive captain, Russell Wilson. As of now, he is moving forward preparing Fields to start, but what will that look like on Friday? What about next Wednesday, or the Friday after that?
The Steelers still have three more games to play before they hit their bye in Week 9. That is three more decisions to make about who starts at quarterback—or rather, three decisions, period. Wilson’s injury, as Tomlin tells it, has left him with no discussion for five weeks. But once Wilson is healthy, he has to make a call.
Justin Fields has generally received favorable reviews for his total body of work over the past five weeks, and plenty of people still believe the Steelers should continue to start him. After two consecutive losses, however, it’s also feeling like the ideal time to make the change. Russell Wilson did, after all, win the starting job, and he never “lost” it. He simply hasn’t played.
One concern people have is that it doesn’t seem Fields is continuing to progress. One of the reasons for optimism behind him was that he appeared to be continually growing. Yet, arguably, he regressed his last time out to some of his old Chicago traits. That is ideal timing for Wilson as he begins full practice for the first time in over a month.
I’m guessing Week 6 would be too soon for Russell Wilson to jump in, so that gives Fields another game. What if he really plays well? What if he just has an average game but does just enough to win? Or what if he is genuinely bad, whether the Steelers win or lose? What freedom does he have, if any, to play through mistakes?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Will Russell Wilson regain his job when he is healthy, or is Justin Fields stealing it? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
