The Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly in no rush to start Russell Wilson .
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that Wilson will continue to ramp up his participation in practice this week. The quarterback has only managed to participate in limited fashion and has been sidelined for all four of Pittsburgh’s games while recovering from a lingering calf injury he reaggravated on September 5.
Even when Wilson is back to 100% health, however, Tomlin conceded it is not a foregone conclusion that he will reclaim the starting job. In relief of the 35-year-old, Justin Fields has commanded the Steelers to a 3-1 record while completing 77-of-109 passes 830 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He’s additionally rushed 38 times for 145 yards and three touchdowns.
"There's a potential for that, but we're not there, as I stand here today," Tomlin said when asked if Fields' strong showing thus far has made Wilson’s health irrelevant in the decision over which quarterback will start.
As for whether or not Fields’ performance could at some point affect the Steelers’ recovery timeline for Wilson, Tomlin added: "It potentially could, but it has not to this point. The guiding factor for us at this point is the amount of ball that we have in front of us, how early we are in this process. That's probably been one of the significant variables in terms of our approach to his rehabilitation."
While Wilson continues to inch closer to full strength, Tomlin confirmed that Fields is expected to make his fifth start of the season against the Dallas Cowboys at home. "It seems like [Wilson] is in a place where his participation is going to pick up some in terms of a practice setting, a live pocket if you will," he said.
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"We won't draw too many conclusions, but we'll just start that process, and we'll comb through that day by day, evaluate his ability to move and function and protect himself and obviously evaluate his level of productivity. We'll let that be our guide in terms of whether we get into serious consideration as we push forward toward game time this week.
"In a lot of ways, I'm taking the same posture that I've taken in recent weeks, but I'm acknowledging that he's doing more work today than he did last Tuesday."
Against the Indianapolis Colts last week, Fields completed 22-of-34 passes for 312 yards and one touchdown. He additionally found success on the ground, rushing for 55 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
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Despite failing to lead the Steelers to a perfect 4-0 start, Tomlin was still impressed by Fields’ demeanor and composure in the 27-24 loss. "We were down multiple scores in the fourth quarter, man, but I didn't feel any blink," he said.
"In particular, I didn't feel any blink in Justin. We've talked about his steady demeanor in recent weeks. In terms of the things that I've grown to know and understand about him, I think it's really on display in moments like that.”
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