Pittsburgh's offense has had its ups and downs in the first six weeks of the season, but plenty of good has derived from using quarterback Justin Fields. Though Fields is coming off two underwhelming games passing the football, the dual-threat quarterback more than makes up for his shortcomings with an outstanding pair of legs.
It's Fields' rushing ability that helped propel the Steelers to a 32-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. His ability to move the chains with his legs and make the occasional big play down helped lead Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record early in the season.
But if you ask Mike Tomlin, this isn't enough.
The Steelers' long-time head coach held his Week 7 pre-game press conference, where he informed the media that Russell Wilson will take first-team reps this week and that the veteran is 'up for consideration' to be Pittsburgh's starting quarterback when they take on the Jets on Sunday Night Football.
Wilson was promised the job by Tomlin when the Steelers surprisingly traded for Fields during the 2024 offseason. But after dealing with a calf injury all summer, Wilson has watched from the bench all season. Now the veteran could get his shot.
But is benching Fields for Wilson warranted?
Steelers will make colossal mistake if they bench Justin Fields
This is such an unusual situation. While Fields hasn't been perfect as a passer, he has executed Mike Tomlin's game plan to a tee.
Through the first six games of the season, Fields combined for 10 touchdowns (passing and rushing) while throwing just one interception. Additionally, Fields is having a career year in terms of adjusted yards per attempt, and net yards per attempt. All of this has led to a respectable 93.9 passer rating -- better than any the Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger in 2020 when he put up a 94.1 passer rating on the season.
In addition to taking care of the football, Fields' elite rushing ability hasn't gone unnoticed and has been a big reason for the team's success. Fields has accumulated 231 rushing yards through six games, and his legs have proven lethal near the goal line. The young quarterback is on pace for 654 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on the season.
Even when you combine all of this with a 4-2 record as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback, it may not be enough for Fields to keep his job.
Turning to Wilson would be the bizarre decision of the decade for Mike Tomlin and quite possibly the worst QB decision he's made in his career as Pittsburgh's head coach. Wilson turns 36 years old next month, has hardly been able to practice in full from early in the summer until now, lacks chemistry with his teammates, and wasn't very good in his past three seasons when he was healthy with the Broncos and Seahawks.
Fresh off the calf injury -- which has lingered on for months -- Wilson won't have the ability to escape pressure. When you consider he's over a decade older than Fields, it's hard to find any sort of hope for the future in making the switch.
If Tomlin does decide to make the switch at quarterback, this is a flagrant move that could destroy the momentum the Steelers are starting to build offensively. Even if Wilson offers slightly more as a passer, the collection of his traits is sure to be worse for Pittsburgh. Make it make sense.