PITTSBURGH -- Since firing up the quarterback carousel seven months ago with the one-year signing of Russell Wilson, trade of former first-round pick Kenny Pickett and acquisition of Justin Fields, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't been able to quash conversation around the starting job. From "pole position" chatter to a training camp battle to a lingering calf injury, the Steelers' most important position is anything but settled as the team enters a pivotal Week 7 prime-time matchup against the New York Jets on "Sunday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock).
Though Fields is 4-2 in six starts, Wilson has remained atop the depth chart as he works back from the training camp calf injury he aggravated in early September. After proving healthy enough to be active against the Las Vegas Raiders, Wilson is in "consideration" to start Sunday, coach Mike Tomlin said. Wilson took first-team reps Wednesday and led the quarterback rotation in individual drills.
But coming off a 32-point performance and holding a winning record, the offense seems to have momentum behind Fields. So why consider making a change?
"Justin has been really good -- and we've been really good at times -- but not to be confused with great," Tomlin said. "Man, this is a competitive league. We're trying to position ourselves to be that team, and we got a player with talent who hadn't had an opportunity to play, so we're going to potentially explore those things."
The case for Justin Fields
Until Najee Harris' third-quarter touchdown in the win against the Raiders, every single touchdown through the first six games of the season had been authored by Fields -- either with his legs or his arm. And even after Harris' touchdown, Fields added one more for his second rushing score of the day.
Through six games, Fields not only leads all quarterbacks with five rushing touchdowns, but he's also fourth in quarterback rushing yards. The Steelers haven't had a quarterback this prolific in the run game since Kordell Stewart, who set the franchise record with 11 rushing touchdowns in 1997. Fields' five rushing touchdowns are the most by a Steelers quarterback through the first six games of a season since Stewart in that 1997 season. Fields and Stewart are also the only Steelers quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to score multiple rushing touchdowns in multiple games.
Asked if Wilson had the same capability in the run game as Fields, Tomlin was blunt.
"No, he does not," Tomlin said. "Justin's legs are an X factor."
Not only has Fields' mobility led to points, but it's also been a big help to an offensive line marred by ailments, including season-ending injuries to right tackle Troy Fautanu and right guard James Daniels. With center Zach Frazier's ankle injury, the Steelers are poised to start their fifth offensive line combination Sunday.
"When you've got a guy like that that can make plays with his feet, it takes pressure off of us," left tackle Dan Moore said. "We give up pressures and sack situations that he can get out of and not only extend plays but make plays out of it. It helps us out tremendously."
While Fields' best assets are his legs, he still has upside in the passing game. With one interception and five touchdown passes, the Steelers' touchdown-to-interception ratio is tied for fourth in the league. Fields also ranks 13th in completion percentage (66.5%) and 14th in air yards per attempt (7.3).
While Wilson has historically been a master of the deep ball, Fields was the more accurate of the pair in passes of at least 20 air yards last season. Fields ranked 13th among 32 qualifying quarterbacks by completing 40% of such passes, while Wilson completed 33% of those attempts and ranked 22nd. And in the past three seasons, Fields has a higher total QBR than Wilson, outpacing him 52-45.
Though Fields had a series of off-target throws against the Raiders, including three straight incompletions in the first half that forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal, on the season, he's off-target on 14% of his throws, which ranks 13th among 32 qualified quarterbacks. That mark is also lower than his average of 17% off-target throws over the past three seasons. By comparison, Wilson's off-target percentage over the same period was 14%.
"Everybody has missed throws," Fields said. "At the end of the day, nobody's perfect. I mean it's not about to get in my head or anything. I've missed so many throws in my career, so it is nothing new, it's not anything different."
The case for Russell Wilson
Despite not taking a single regular-season snap, Wilson, who was voted a captain by his teammates in September, has been listed as the team's starting quarterback in each weekly depth chart. And the reason is simple -- Tomlin doesn't believe in unseating starters because of injury.
"My position regarding the pecking order and the depth chart has not changed," Tomlin said following a Week 2 win against Denver. "And it won't until the other guy gets healthy, and then we'll give it real consideration."
Tuesday, Tomlin confirmed Wilson proved his health last week when he was a full participant in practice, leading to him being in consideration to start this week.
And the best way for Tomlin to get the most complete evaluation -- including Wilson's level of rust -- is by seeing Wilson with that first-team offense.
"You knock it off to a degree just getting an in-helmet perspective on the work," Tomlin said. "There's one thing to sit in meetings and digest football and be a full participant like he's been or to be a guy behind the offensive group digesting it from that perspective, but the in-helmet perspective and the reactionary see to do and some of those things. That's what I'm talking about.
"There's also a totality of his résumé as well that makes you more comfortable than guys with shorter résumés in that regard in terms of his ability to play ball on a limited amount of exposure."
Beyond a show of loyalty to the player who entered training camp in pole position for the starting job and was officially named the starter after camp, there are tangible football reasons for replacing Fields with Wilson.
Though Tomlin admitted Wilson lacks Fields' mobility, Wilson is the more seasoned passer. In his final season in Denver, Wilson completed 66.4% of his pass attempts, which is nearly identical to Fields' career-best completion percentage through six games this season.
And while Fields has the Steelers' offense scoring more points per game than last season -- 20.7 from 17.8 -- the passing game has regressed. The Steelers now rank 28th in the league in passing yards per game at 166.8, down from 187.8 in 2023. Wilson's experience and willingness to throw the deep ball could unlock a more consistent downfield attack, something that's largely been missing this season.
Fields' completion percentage has also dropped in the past two games, going from 69% in the first three weeks to just 57% against the Raiders and Cowboys. And while he's still only responsible for one interception, he's had a handful of turnover-worthy plays in the past two outings, including a bad interception against the Raiders that was negated by a roughing the passer penalty.
It's enough to open the door for a veteran who threw only eight interceptions to 26 touchdowns a year ago, a rebound season after throwing 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 2022.
Ultimately, the decision is Tomlin's. And as the coach said Tuesday, when asked if he needs more from the passing game, he doesn't care much for statistics.
"Stats are often for losers," Tomlin said. "It's comfort food when you're taking an L. I just try to focus my energies on positioning this group to win and doing what's appropriate to try to put the best collective together this week and win this game."
To do that, he can stick with precedent and allow the player he dubbed as the starter to reclaim his place in the offense, or he can continue rolling with the quarterback who, despite inconsistencies in the passing game, has 10 total touchdowns in four wins. Or he could also implement a plan that utilizes both quarterbacks. Though some within the organization have been impressed with Fields' development and believe he's building momentum, at the end of the day, the decision is Tomlin's -- and Tomlin's alone.