The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Russell Wilson during the 2024 NFL offseason to serve as their starting quarterback, but his calf injury has sidelined him for the first five games of the season. Now healthy, Wilson has returned to the active roster to support Justin Fields and is poised to compete for the starting role.
As the Steelers head into Week 7, Wilson is in contention to start against the New York Jets, despite Fields leading the team to a 4-2 record during Wilson’s absence. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin indicated that both quarterbacks’ performances in practice will be crucial in deciding who will take the field this week.
Tomlin noted that he has seen Wilson’s return to health, stating, “I got comfortable with his ability to display his health [last week]. Now it’s about knocking the rust off.” He confirmed that both quarterbacks would share first-team reps in practice, but no final decision had been made on who would start.
Benching Fields, who has helped the Steelers achieve a winning record, would be an unusual move, as historically no quarterback has been replaced after such a start in the Super Bowl era. Nonetheless, Tomlin acknowledged the potential for a change while praising Fields’ performance this season.
“Justin has been really good, and we’ve been really good at times, but not to be confused with great,” Tomlin said. He added that the Steelers are evaluating all options at quarterback to maximize their chances of winning.
Tomlin also mentioned the possibility of utilizing both Wilson and Fields in Week 7, keeping the quarterback situation uncertain as they prepare for the Jets.
The Steelers currently have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster: Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, and Kyle Allen. Wilson, who was originally expected to be the starter, fell to third on the depth chart due to his injury but has moved ahead of Allen and aims to reclaim his starting position.