Mike Tomlin hints at unexpected change for Steelers in Week 7

Aug 30, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watches the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL with their strong play through six weeks, but they seem to be trending toward making a huge change.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported on Tuesday morning that the Steelers are planning to give Russell Wilson first-team snaps in practice this week ahead of Justin Fields. That would put Wilson in line to start in Sunday night’s game against the New York Jets.

A short while later, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that Wilson is “in consideration” for the starting quarterback job in Week 7.

Tomlin consistently kept things vague the whole time Wilson was out with the calf injury that he suffered during the preseason. Though the Steelers are 4-2 and Fields has played well, Tomlin has refused to name Fields the team’s full-time starting quarterback. It sounds like that is because the coach still views Wilson as a better option.

Wilson beat out Fields for the starting QB job during the summer. The 35-year-old then had a setback with a calf injury that he initially sustained at the start of training camp. That led to Fields starting.

Wilson returned to practice as a full participant last week, but Tomlin continued to slow-play the situation . Fields then got his sixth start of the season and went 14/24 for 145 yards while leading Pittsburgh to a 32-13 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Fields rushed for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game.

Overall, Fields has completed 66.3% of his passes for 1,106 yards, 5 touchdowns and just 1 interception. He has 231 rushing yards and another 5 scores on the ground.

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