After Russell Wilson "proved his health" last week and is considered to be 100% healthy, Mike Tomlin said Tuesday during his weekly press conference that Wilson will be "in consideration" to start against the Jets on Sunday.
"Over the course of the week, I got comfortable with his (Russell Wilson) ability to display his health and now it's about knocking the rust off. He did some of that last week," Tomlin said. "He is in consideration this week, we'll see where that leads us. Both guys at the quarterback position are scheduled to work tomorrow and we'll walk it day by day, all geared toward putting ourselves in the best position to win the football game."
Wilson has been sidelined since aggravating a calf injury ahead of the Steelers' season opener against the Falcons. He's been slowly working his way back and was a full participant during practice last week for the first time this season. He was also healthy enough to be activated Sunday night for the first time this season and was listed as the No. 2 quarterback behind Justin Fields.
Before Wilson could be given that opportunity, Tomlin said that he needed to see Wilson do certain things during practice to make him believe that he was ready to take the field against another team.
"He proved his ability to protect himself, to move appropriately within the pocket, to not be limited schematically in terms of some of the things we are capable of doing or want to do," Tomlin said. "Those things had to happen before we could seriously consider him and his talents.
Wilson even said late last week, before the team headed to Las Vegas, that the biggest thing for him moving forward was to prove that he could run well enough to escape the pocket in dangerous situations while also being able to throw on the run and do everything that is needed of him in this offense.
While Fields has taken advantage of his opportunity as the starting quarterback, he hasn't completely run away with it. He's led the Steelers to a 4-2 start and has commanded the offense to a point where he's only turned the ball over twice -- one interception and one lost fumble -- but he's also fumbled six times and is tied for the league lead in rush fumbles. He's also completed 66% of his pass attempts for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns while rushing 55 times for 231 yards and five touchdowns.
However, he's also looked very shaky in the passing game at times as he's missed open receivers with inaccurate passes and has shown an inability to read defenses or find open receivers in coverage. But, after garnering four wins to start the season, one might think that Fields had done enough to hold onto the starting position moving forward.
Tomlin said Tuesday that Wilson being in consideration for the starting position isn't because of something Fields has done wrong, but rather because the team is doing its due diligence:
"Justin has been really good and we’ve been really good at times, but not to be confused with great," Tomlin said. "This is a competitive league, we’re trying to position ourselves to be that team and we have a player with talent who hasn’t had an opportunity to play. So, we are going to potentially explore those things. Sometimes, it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what Justin has done or has not done. Justin has been an asset to us. Last week, for example, his ability to utilize his legs by design and by ad-lib was a significant component of that game. He rushed for 50-plus yards and two touchdowns. So we’re appreciative of that, we’re appreciative of how he’s taken care of the ball, but we’re just looking at all the people at our disposal, the same way we do at any position."
What happens next is still a work in progress. Tomlin said they are still developing the practice plan for this week and he's not sure who will take reps with the first team to start, but both quarterbacks will get an opportunity to work with the first team throughout the week.
"We're really just gonna roll the ball out, let both guys work and make decisions from there," Tomlin said.
While there has been a young quarterback under center for the Steelers so far this season, Wilson's history of success speaks for itself. In his 13-year career, he's won one Super Bowl and has been named to nine Pro Bowls while throwing for over 43,500 yards and 334 touchdowns. His experience and success give Tomlin comfort when deciding to use a player who hasn't had much exposure within the Steelers' offense.
"There’s also the totality of his resume as well, that makes you more comfortable than guys with shorter resumes in that regard, in terms of his ability to play ball on a limited amount of exposure," Tomlin said. "I have that mentality about guys across positions and we’ve had that discussion before. Veteran players, there’s just comfort that comes with experience."
Tomlin said that he is looking to decide on a starting quarterback closer to the game, but didn't give a definitive answer on when that would come. He also said there's a situation where both quarterbacks could play Sunday and that same situation was in place this past weekend as well. He hinted at that same sentiment at the beginning of the regular season before Wilson aggravated his calf injury.
Both quarterbacks bring different skill sets to the table. Wilson is the purer passer with a resume to prove it. He's been mobile at times throughout his career but does not bring the same type of athleticism to the table as Fields does and with his play-action ability, he has a large chance to succeed in an Arthur Smith offense.
Fields has displayed exactly what he's capable of through the first six games of the season. He's protected the ball, at times, he's picked defenses apart with his legs and he's found rhythm in the passing offense at different points too. But through six games, his success through the air has been too inconsistent.
So, what does Tomlin want to see from the two quarterbacks this week? Well, that's simple.
"I'm looking for top-quality play and winning," Tomlin said. "Not only from them, but from all of us. That's what's required in our business."
