Steelers make starting quarterback decision with Russell Wilson healthy

The keys to the Steelers’ offense belong to Justin Fields for at least one more week.

Russell Wilson, who Pittsburgh named its starter after the preseason before a calf injury sidelined him the first five weeks, will “probably” be active Sunday as the Steelers’ No. 2 quarterback, head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Friday, but his injury return didn’t result in a switch at signal-caller — at least for Week 6 against the Raiders.

“He’s proven his health,” Tomlin said. “Now it’s just a matter of knocking the rust off.”

Both Wilson and Fields — from the Broncos and Bears, respectively — were acquired by the Steelers during the offseason and competed for the starting role throughout the preseason, with Wilson, at 35 years old and searching for another career reset following a disastrous Denver stint, emerging as the winner.

“It was a difficult decision, but not difficult in a negative way,” Tomlin told reporters at the time. “The decision was difficult because of what they’re capable of doing.”

Still, instead of fading into the background as the No. 2 quarterback, Wilson’s calf injury — described as one that he’d dealt with throughout training camp and one that eventually led to an appearance on the Week 1 injury report — forced Fields into the lineup for the opener.

And everything, at least for the first three weeks, went well enough for the Steelers to start 3-0.

His numbers weren’t sensational, but Fields threw for two touchdowns and one interception while collecting 518 passing yards — and 90 rushing yards — across the Steelers’ trio of wins.

They lost their next two games, though, and Wilson’s return reignited the quarterback dilemma, given the decision Tomlin and the Steelers made before Wilson’s injury.

Wilson, an eight-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks, collected 3,070 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions last year with the Broncos, and a 66.4 completion percentage marked his highest since 2020.

But Wilson will still need time to acclimate following the injury.

“Health and rust are two different things,” Tomlin said.

Pittsburgh’s defense — which has allowed the eighth-fewest yards per game (298.0) and third-fewest points per game (14.6) this season entering Sunday — has provided the offense time to find a rhythm and eventually, once Wilson officially completes his recovery, settle on a long-term starter for the remainder of the regular season.

At least for Sunday, that’ll still be Fields.