Justin Fields is in line to start another game at quarterback for Pittsburgh to start the 2024 season.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Russell Wilson is feeling better, but is still dealing with the effects of his calf injury. So, Fields is set to take the QB1 reps to begin the practice week.
“I just visited with [Wilson],” Tomlin said. “He feels better today than he did over the weekend. And so what that means, I don’t know as we sit here today. I know that we’re going to take the same approach 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.
“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 — and when that happens will probably be a component of that equation.”
Tomlin continued by noting what that means for Fields.
"[A]s I sit here today, we’re preparing as if Justin is going to be our quarterback,” Tomlin said. “I think that’s the appropriate way to do it. Speculation is a waste of time. Russell’s hurt, he’s not available to us. And so as you guys know, as a general practice, I focus my energy on those that are available and their readiness. Just saw Justin, he just finished a good workout here today and excited about maybe going through a complete week with him in terms of the preparation process. But, again, we’ll take it day by day.
“Russ is not scheduled to work in totality tomorrow. To what degree, I do not know. And then we’ll play it by ear from there based on the results and the things that we see, in terms of whether or not we consider him and to what degree we consider him.”
Fields completed 17-of-23 passes for 156 yards and rushed for 57 yards on 14 carries in his Steelers debut, an 18-10 victory over the Falcons.
The Steelers will be on the road again in Week 2 toffee the Broncos in Denver.