The Pittsburgh Steelers will finally have both of their top-two quarterbacks healthy in Week 6, as Russell Wilson turned in three full practices this week and carries no designation into Sunday.
But Wilson won't be inserted into the starting lineup upon his return, as head coach Mike Tomlin revealed Justin Fields will start. Tomlin did add, however, that Wilson will be active and serve as the No. 2 quarterback.
When asked about Wilson after practice on Friday, right tackle Broderick Jones spoke glowingly about the veteran signal-caller, and so much so that it sounds like he prefers Wilson over Fields. He did make sure to compliment Fields, though.
"It's always just a different energy between Russ and Justin," Jones said. "Just 'cause Russ been doing it so long, you know? So when he comes in, he has a little swagger about himself and it just rubs off. Justin, he's gonna go out there and play lights out, though, so at the end of the day, either way I feel like both of them are ready and prepared to do whatever needs to be done for us to get the job done."
"You definitely feel a different momentum or shift just because of the two different type of play styles they have," Jones added.
While Wilson won't be starting on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, it's not out of the question that he sees the field if Fields falters. Fields has done enough, but he has hardly cemented himself as the locked-in starter for the rest of the season.
Fields has done more good than bad, but Pittsburgh's offense has struggled to score points, with the unit tallying 20 or fewer in four of five games. The one game the Steelers scored more than 20, they lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 27-24.
If that continues on Sunday, the Steelers owe it to themselves to see if Wilson can produce better results.
