Russell Wilson will make his regular season Steelers debut tonight, having fully recovered from his calf injury. The move to place him atop the quarterback depth chart came after Justin Fields helped guide the team to a 4-2 record, and it does not appear to have been the preference of some staff members. 
When speaking with Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, head coach Mike Tomlin noted he acted alone in tapping Wilson as Pittsburgh’s starter (video link). QB decisions are, of course, the purview of a head coach but they come amongst consultation with other members of the offensive coaching staff. Tomlin acknowledged he will solely bear the responsibility of the Wilson decision should it not work out, an indication of the support Fields has in the organization.
The former Bears first-rounder received extra first-team reps in training camp once Wilson was injured, and as the only healthy member of the pair in September he did not face competition for the starting gig. Wilson returned to practice recently, and after a full week handling reps with the first-team offense signs pointed to him getting the nod. Attached to a one-year deal, Wilson entered the offseason atop the depth chart but Fields’ performances in camp and the preseason earned him favor amongst Pittsburgh’s decision-makers.
Indeed, a report from earlier this month noted Fields did not appear to be in immediate danger of losing his starting gig. The 25-year-old helped guide Pittsburgh to a strong showing in the running game during his time at the helm, but the team entered Week 7 ranked just 28th in passing production and 20th overall in scoring. Wilson will be tasked with improving on those totals, although the door is open to Fields seeing some playing time in spite of his demotion.
The Steelers will host the Jets to close out Sunday’s action, and one of the team’s key storylines will be Wilson’s play during his first contest since his ill-fated Broncos tenure came to a close. If the former Seahawks Super Bowl winner struggles, calls from inside and outside the building will no doubt grow for Tomlin to reverse his decision.
I’ve stated before how much I hate bloated coaching staffs and front office staffs. You’re not going to succeed having your organization run like a bureaucracy….even Belichick knew that much.
If it turns out as badly as I expect it to, I’m just glad I get to see it tonight.
Going to likely be a crap game with the orange clown in attendance, having to listen to Collinsworth gush about Rodgers and Wilson probably getting sacked repeatedly. Too bad Tomlin’s job isn’t riding on this game. It’s this kind of bad coaching that shoots this team in the foot.
I agree with you mad..I’ve said it before Tomlin has too much power…how he got that power is beyond me. He’s hadn’t done anything since 2010, and he lost that Superbowl.
He’s an arrogant man who won’t admit when he’s wrong
Just like the orange clown that you mentioned.
I thought this site was supposed to keep comments away from politics? Especially when the comment is CLEARLY favoring the most unqualified, unprepared, and unintelligent candidate in like forever.
Let’s be real, Fields is not a QB that will lead a team to the Super Bowl. Russ has done that twice! Tomlin wants to see what Russ has left.
At some point, doesn’t ownership want more than to be above 500 and get beat in the 1st round of the playoffs?