Steelers' Justin Fields Gets Honest About Possibility Of Taking On Backup Role

The Pittsburgh Steelers have finally gotten Russell Wilson healthy enough to practice, as he was a full participant in practice for the first time all year on Wednesday and Thursday. Pittsburgh is preparing to travel to Nevada to take on the Las Vegas Raiders, and it is still up in the air whether Wilson will be the starter or not. Justin Fields started the first five games of the season and led the team to a 3-2 record. The fourth-year quarterback had some impressive performances, but his time as the starter could be over.

Wilson was initially signed at the beginning of free agency to be the starting quarterback for the 2024 season, but his calf injury threw that plan off course. He missed nearly all of training camp with the first-team offense, and then re-aggravated the injury just before the season opener. He was deemed the starting quarterback at the end of training camp, despite his health being in question. Fields has played well in Wilson's absence, and there are some who believe he has earned the right to start the rest of the season. 

The fourth-year quarterback was asked if Wilson getting back to full health makes it more difficult to focus during practice. Fields spoke to the media about his willingness to take on any role in a video posted by Amanda Godsey on X.

"Nah. Like I said, I’m blessed to be here. Whatever my role is on the team, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability and work hard."

Both quarterbacks have been extremely supportive of one another ever since they arrived in Pittsburgh. The two spoke highly of one another while they were competing for the starting job during training camp, and Fields was accepting when Wilson ultimately won the starting job. It seems he is taking that same approach again if Wilson does end up regaining the starting job.

Fields had his worst performance of the season in Week 5 in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys, which is why Wilson starting in Week 6 is a strong possibility. The team seems to be bought into either quarterback, but Fields was still taking the snaps with the starting offensive unit. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke about Wilson returning to full health during his press conference on Tuesday, but shared that he would be working with the second-string offense so Fields' preparation would not be disrupted.

Wilson has more experience than Fields, and he is certainly the better option to win now for Pittsburgh. However, both quarterbacks are on one-year deals with the Steelers. Fields is considerably younger than Wilson and he has the chance to be the Steelers quarterback for the foreseeable future. Pittsburgh has been in quarterback purgatory ever since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, so the organization has a difficult decision to make on whether to prioritize the 2024 season or the future of the team.

Steelers Should Start Justin Fields In Week 6

The Steelers fan base is relatively split on whether Fields or Wilson should be the starting quarterback. Ultimately, Fields has not played bad enough to lose his starting job through five starts, but he also hasn't been exceptional. With that being said, he is still taking nearly all of the first-team reps throughout practice ahead of the team's Week 6 matchup with the Raiders.

Wilson may be a full participant in practice, but he is working with the second-string offense. It would irresponsible for the coaching staff to throw the veteran into the starting role on Sunday after spending the whole week working with the backups. There would likely be a serious disconnect between Wilson and the rest of the offense after going the whole week preparing with different personnel. 

Who do you think should start against the Raiders? Let us know in the comments below!

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