Following Russell Wilson’s successful performance this past Sunday night, the thought was that Mike Tomlin may finally be ready to formally announce him as the team’s starting quarterback moving forward.
Pittsburgh’s coach didn’t do that, though, during his weekly press conference, although he did acknowledge that Wilson will prepare this week as the team’s starting quarterback over Justin Fields, who went 4-2 when Wilson was out with a calf injury.
“He’s scheduled to take first-team reps when we begin tomorrow,” Tomlin said of Wilson. “We’ll see where the week leads us.”
When both quarterbacks were acquired this offseason, the general thought was that Wilson would start while also serving as a mentor for Fields. But the dynamic changed when Wilson injured his calf at the start of training camp and Fields temporarily replaced him as QB1. Fields received the majority of Pittsburgh’s first-team reps during training camp, the preseason and during the first six weeks of the regular season after Wilson aggravated his calf injury.
The dynamic changed again two weeks ago, when Wilson split first-team practice reps with Fields. Wilson then received each of the first-team reps last week prior to making his season debut during last Sunday’s 37-15 win over the New York Jets. That process is expected to continue this week.
Fields’ role has undoubtedly changed, as he will now receive second-team reps in practice and will be backing up Wilson on game day barring the unexpected happens. Tomlin, however, doesn’t want Fields’ mindset to change even though the situation around him has.
“I just want Justin to be prepared to get ready to play, like he’s done,” Tomlin said. “I’m refusing to acknowledge whatever changes you just acknowledged. We’re building a plan to beat the New York Giants this week. We’ve got two capable guys. We’re gonna ready them. They both need to be ready to work.”
While unorthodox, Tomlin’s decision to not definitively name a starting quarterback is understandable. Throughout their time as teammates, Fields and Wilson have shared a healthy level of competition. Fields, despite the understanding months earlier that Wilson was coming to Pittsburgh with pole positioning, has never conceded the job to Wilson and probably never will. In turn, Wilson has publicly stated on numerous occasions that Fields has pushed him to be a better version of himself. It’s clear that the competition is a good thing for both players.
Tomlin also knows how quickly things can change for his team, especially at the quarterback position. Wilson may be QB1 now, but that could very well change at some point this season. If it does, Tomlin wants to make sure that his other starting-caliber quarterback is ready.
Again, not naming at long-term starting quarterback is not normal. But as Tomlin stated, what the Steelers are trying to pursue is not normal, either. Pittsburgh is trying to win its record seventh Super Bowl, and the road to possibly doing that may require means and methods that go beyond the norm.
