Mike Tomlin: Russell Wilson 'under consideration' to start at QB for Steelers

Let the quarterback controversy begin for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After sitting out the first six games of the season, Russell Wilson is “under consideration” to start Sunday night when the Steelers play the New York Jets, according to coach Mike Tomlin.

“We’re looking hard at it this week,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

The Steelers have built a 4-2 record behind Justin Fields, who led the offense to its highest points total of the season in a 32-13 victory at Las Vegas that snapped a two-game losing streak.

But Wilson held the “pole position” on the quarterback job from the moment he signed with the Steelers in March until he aggravated a calf injury four days before the season opener. All the while Wilson held a grip on the No. 1 spot on the official depth chart. Tomlin said Wilson is healthy after being a full practice participant last week for the first time since the preseason.

“Now, it’s about knocking off the rust, and he did some of that last week,” Tomlin said. “He is under consideration this week. We’ll see where that leads us. Both guys are scheduled to work tomorrow, and we’ll walk it day-by-day.”

Tomlin will wait to see how practice unfolds this week before naming his starter for the game against the Jets, who bring a 2-4 record into Acrisure Stadium for the prime-time matchup Sunday.

Wilson is expected to take snaps with the first-team offense in practice. Fields worked exclusively with the first team while Wilson was injured.

“I’m sure at some point,” Wilson will get those snaps, Tomlin said. “I haven’t decided who gets the ball first. That sort of minutiae has been undecided.”

In his first season with the Steelers after spending his first three in Chicago, Fields has completed a career-high 66.3% of his passes and has thrown just one interception against five touchdown passes. He also has rushed for 231 yards, which ranks third in the league among quarterbacks, and a team-high five touchdowns.

Fields has attempted 160 passes, and his lone interception is second fewest in the league among passers with at least 100 attempts. Buffalo’s Josh Allen is the only starting quarterback who hasn’t thrown an interception this season.

Fields also ranks No. 22 with 1,106 passing yards, and his 6.9 yards per attempt is No. 21.

Tomlin said Fields has been “an asset for us,” and called his running ability an “X-factor,” but added he can’t overlook what the 35-year-old Wilson has done in an NFL career that is entering its 13th season. Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowl pick, and he has won one Super Bowl and appeared in another.

“Justin has been really good, and we’ve been really good at times, but that’s not to be confused with great,” Tomlin said. “This is a competitive league. We’re trying to position ourselves to be that team. We have a player with talent who hasn’t had the opportunity to play, so we’re going to potentially explore those things.

“Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what Justin has done or hasn’t done.”

The Steelers signed Wilson with the intent of ending a drought of playoff wins that extends to the 2016 season. They are tied with the Baltimore Ravens atop the AFC North and have a stretch of home games against the Jets and New York Giants — teams with 2-4 records — before they head into their bye week.

Wilson was the emergency No. 3 quarterback for the first five games of the season. He took his first meaningful practice snaps last week and served as the backup to Fields when the Steelers faced the Raiders.

“He proved his health last week and provided his ability to protect himself — to move appropriately in the pocket, to not be limited schematically,” Tomlin said. “Those things had to happen before we could seriously consider him and his talent.”

This week, it will be about Wilson continuing to “knock off the rust” before Tomlin makes his decision about the Steelers’ starter.

“It’s one thing to sit in meetings and digest football and be a full participant and be the guy behind the offensive group digesting it, but it’s the in-helmet perspective and the reactions that you need to do,” Tomlin said. “That’s what I’m talking about. There is a totality of his resume that makes you more comfortable than guys with shorter resumes in terms of an ability to play ball after a limited amount of (practice) exposure.”