Pittsburgh Steelers make QB change with Russell Wilson in Week 6

Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson in free agency, it was widely assumed that the All-Pro would be the starting quarterback in the Steel City. A training camp calf injury threw a wrench into those plans, cracking the door wide open for Justin Fields to show why he deserves to start.

Now, in Week 6, Wilson’s calf injury has slowly continued to improve, and there’s been a significant shift in his role for this Sunday. What are the Steelers up to now?

Related: See where Justin Fields lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings

Pittsburgh Steelers promote Russell Wilson to backup QB duties

Russell Wilson’s back! But not in the traditional sense. It’s true, Wilson is inching closer and closer to taking the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, he took another significant step in that process.

Wilson has been out for the entire season with a calf injury thus far. However, he’s also been on the team’s active roster, just as the third, emergency quarterback in case both Justin Fields and Kyle Allen get hurt in the same game.

But this week, when the Steelers take on the Las Vegas Raiders on the road, Wilson will have a different role. He’s still not going to start over Fields, but according to Mike Tomlin, Wilson will be the Steelers’ backup quarterback on Sunday.

After a 3-0 start, the Steelers have suffered back-to-back losses. Having the NFL’s second-lowest scoring defense has surely been a big help, especially considering Pittsburgh’s offense is averaging just 18.4 points per game, which is the seventh-fewest in the NFL.

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