The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation took a sudden turn on Wednesday, creating buzz just days before their upcoming matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Justin Fields has started the first five games for the Steelers this season, stepping in while veteran QB Russell Wilson recovered from a calf injury he sustained during the summer, just before training camp.
Fields got the Steelers off to a strong 3-0 start, but the team has since dropped two consecutive games. Following Sunday night’s home loss to the Dallas Cowboys, where the offense managed just 17 points, questions began to emerge about Fields’ future as the starter.
So far this season, Fields has completed 92 of 236 passes for 961 yards, with five touchdowns and one interception. On the ground, he has contributed 172 rushing yards and three touchdowns. While these numbers have kept Pittsburgh competitive in the race for the AFC North, there’s a growing sense that the offense needs a more dynamic playmaker to elevate their performance beyond Fields’ game-manager approach.
As the Steelers gear up to face the Raiders, who have their own quarterback issues—recently announcing that second-year QB Aidan O’Connell will start—Pittsburgh’s situation appears to be evolving quickly.
According to the Steelers’ official site, Wilson fully participated in Wednesday’s practice, marking the first time he has done so since the regular season began. Head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged the change in circumstances this week, indicating that the team is taking a cautious approach as they assess Wilson’s readiness to return to game action.
“First, we’ll see if (Wilson is) able to obviously pull it off and get through the session,” Tomlin said. “And if he does, what does the quality of that work look like? His ability to protect himself, etc., are some of the conversations that we’ve been having, but just in a hypothetical way.”
Wilson worked with the second team in practice, while Fields continued to lead the first team. Tomlin and his coaching staff are monitoring Wilson’s mobility and overall performance in practice before making any final decisions on a quarterback switch.
If Wilson impresses and proves he’s ready to go, the Steelers could see a shift at the quarterback position very soon.
Leave a Reply