Steelers' Russell Wilson Shares Strong Message About Justin Fields Amidst QB Battle

The Pittsburgh Steelers are at a pivotal point in the 2024 NFL season. The time has come where Russell Wilson has returned to full health, and he is officially an option for the starting job. Justin Fields has been the leader of the offense through the first six games of the season, and he has led the team to a 4-2 record while putting together some impressive performances. Both quarterbacks are taking snaps with the starting offense in the week of practice leading up to the Sunday night showdown with the New York Jets, but it seems like Wilson is the favorite to start.

The fan base is fairly split on whether Fields or Wilson should be the starter moving forward. Fields has been winning games, but the offense has gotten off to slow starts under his reign and missed out on some opportunities. Head Coach Mike Tomlin wants more out of the offensive unit, which is why he is giving Wilson the opportunity to win the starting job in practice now that he is fully healthy. Even though it is looking like Wilson will start Sunday, the veteran quarterback had nothing but good things to say about Fields and the job he has done when he spoke to the media on Thursday.

"Man, I think - first of all, Justin has done a great job," said Wilson. "I think he is a tremendous quarterback, I've gone against him over the years. He is a tremendous football player and a great teammate and all that."

Wilson was asked about what the offense can do to elevate their game and produce more, and he went out of his way to praise Fields and what he has done so far in the 2024 season. Fields has accounted for 10 out of the 11 touchdowns scored by Pittsburgh, so Wilson will have his work cut out for him to take this offense to the next level if he is in fact the starter in Week 7.

Wilson has missed a lot of time in 2024. He originally suffered his calf injury during conditioning tests the day before training camp began, which forced him to miss a lot of practice time in Latrobe. He then re-aggravated the injury right before the season opener, which led to Fields starting the season for Pittsburgh. Wilson was a limited participant in practice until Week 6 when he started working in with the second unit.

Fields has been one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL over his first six starts with the Steelers, but that doesn't seem to matter as he will likely be taking on the backup role. The fourth-year quarterback has a completion percentage of over 65 percent, has thrown for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns, and he has used his legs to pick up 231 yards on the ground and another five touchdowns. Wilson will have a lot of pressure on him to meet or exceed the expectations set by Fields.

Steelers Are Hoping For Higher Offensive Output With Russell Wilson

Tomlin made a remark during his press conference on Tuesday about how Fields has been good at quarterback, but not great. It seems as though the head coach is hoping Wilson can be great. Fields' legs have accounted for 45 percent of Pittsburgh's touchdowns, and a good amount of yardage on the ground. Wilson can't move like Fields, so he will have to elevate the offense through the passing game. This could be an issue on Sunday night if Wilson is named the starter, as the offensive line for Pittsburgh is beat up and Wilson will likely need to be able to move out of the pocket.

There's no doubt that Wilson is a better passer than Fields, but Fields provides an added layer to the offense with his mobility. It will be interesting to see how the offense plays without that in their back pocket.