Steelers preparing to start Justin Fields at Denver but will monitor Russell Wilson's injury

Justin Fields will enter the practice week preparing to start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their game Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

Whether Fields will start his second game in a row or cede the job will come down to how well starter Russell Wilson progresses in his recovery from a nagging calf injury that kept him from playing in the season opener at Atlanta.

At his weekly news conference Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers are “preparing as if Justin is going to be our quarterback.”

“That is the appropriate way to do it,” Tomlin added. “Speculation is a waste of time.”

Wilson remains listed as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart that Tomlin released Tuesday, but the 35-year-old is not scheduled to practice “in totality” Wednesday when the Steelers (1-0) begin on-field preparations for the Broncos (0-1).

“We’ll meet with the docs after practice, then have clarity about what the rest of the week looks like,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin was asked if Wilson would start against his former team — he spent two occasionally acrimonious seasons with the Broncos — provided he is healthy.

“That’s a big if,” Tomlin said. “I’m not into hypotheticals. As I mentioned, right now he’s not healthy, so my time and attention is focusing on the readiness of Justin.”

Fields learned he would be starting the season opener about two hours before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the Steelers’ 18-10 victory, Fields completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also rushed for 57 yards on 14 carries.

“I’m excited about going through a complete week with him in the preparation process,” Tomlin said.

Fields didn’t turn the ball over in his Steelers debut, although he did fumble the first snap from rookie center Zach Frazier and bobbled another exchange later in the opening drive.

“He settled in as the game progressed,” Tomlin said. “He had clear eyes in weighty moments.”

In three seasons with the Bears, Fields threw 30 interceptions in 40 games, and he was sacked 135 times, including an NFL-high 55 in 2022. He also fumbled an NFL-leading 16 times that season, but he was a much more efficient quarterback in his Steelers debut.

Fields was sacked just twice against the Falcons, and he made minimal mistakes, which Tomlin applauded.

Tomlin noted how Fields kept his composure on a third-and-5 from the Atlanta 13 with 2 minutes, 22 seconds remaining and the Steelers clinging to a 15-10 lead. The Falcons called timeout to stop the clock. When play resumed, Fields gained 7 yards on a designed run for a first down.

“We talked about leaving the ball in his hands,” Tomlin said. “We bounced around some suggestions. He was a major component of that discussion. We went out, left the ball in his hands … and he moved the chains. There was a lot of good. It was good to be in-stadium with a guy. You’re just speculating until you are. I just know a heck of a lot more about him from that perspective.”

Wilson aggravated his calf injury Thursday and was a limited participant in practice the rest of the week. He was designated the No. 3 emergency quarterback after going through a 15-minute workout Sunday morning.

“He feels better today than he did over the weekend,” Tomlin said. “What that means, I don’t know as we sit here today. I know we’re going to take the same approach that we take with a lot of people in terms of injury. We’ll first start with his participation and his level of participation, his quality of participation and over the course of the week we’ll be analyzing whether he’s capable of protecting himself, whether he’s capable of being productive.

“When we get to those points, that’s when we’ll ponder his inclusion or not.”

Tomlin isn’t concerned that Wilson’s impending return to Denver is easily the game’s biggest subplot. The Broncos are paying nearly $40 million of Wilson’s contract this season and released him before free agency because he didn’t mesh well with coach Sean Payton.

Tomlin balked when asked whether Wilson would get his starting job back when he is cleared medically to play.

“I’m not going to soothe you with hypothetical scenarios,” he said. “It’s my general practice not to. You guys that know me know I do not, so why start today because it’s the quarterback position or because it’s a national story? I am unmoved by some of those narratives.”