Justin Fields is in line to make a third consecutive start at quarterback for the Steelers when they play their home opener Sunday afternoon against the Chargers.
Russell Wilson, who has been dealing with a calf injury since late July, has not been cleared by the team’s medical staff and is not scheduled to fully participate in practice on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re in the same posture as we were in last week with Russ,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “As I sit here today, Russ is not scheduled to be a full participant in practice, and so we’re readying a plan that features Justin and his readiness. We’ll follow Russ throughout the week, and if his participation gets to a level where we should consider him, we’ll delve into that at that time. We’ll stay in that mindset until something else happens.”
Fields has the Steelers atop the AFC North with a 2-0 start. He has completed 69.8% of his passes for 273 yards and one touchdown in those games. Most importantly, he has not turned the ball over. While the statistics don’t pop, Tomlin said Fields has impressed with his intangible qualities.
“He loves to compete,” Tomlin said. “He has a quiet confidence about him. He doesn’t change in environments. There is a clarity in his communications that is comfortable.”
The depth chart remains unchanged at quarterback. Wilson remains the starter, and Fields is listed as the backup. When asked Tuesday if there was still a quarterback competition between Wilson and Fields, Tomlin responded: “I’ve stated where we are. At the beginning of Week 1, I said it was debatable. And so we were staying status quo. Russ was in pole position. My position regarding the pecking order on the depth chart has not changed, guys. And it won’t until the other guy gets healthy. Then we’ll give it real consideration. Until then, I won’t speculate. I don’t know how many ways I can tell you guys that.”
In other injury news, Tomlin said left guard Isaac Seumalo “might be closer” to returning to the lineup. Seumalo has missed the first two games with a pectoral injury. Linebacker and special-teams ace Tyler Matakevich has a hamstring injury and tight end MyCole Pruitt has a knee injury. Both are expected to be limited in the early portions of the week.
What he said
“None of your business, respectfully. There are certain things that go on among teams that I don’t talk about whether it gets out or how it gets out. It’s unimportant to me, and I’m not overly guarded against it, but there are certain things as a leader that I talk to the collective about that I have zero intentions of sharing with the larger public because it’s about our collective and how we come together and how we appreciate and support one another. I can’t give you all the ingredients to the hot dog because you might not like it.” — Tomlin, when asked about awarding “petty” game balls to Russell Wilson and other former Broncos after the victory Sunday afternoon in Denver.
Our take
Uh-oh. It sounds like Justin Fields revealed something he wasn’t supposed to reveal during his postgame interview. Apparently, these “petty” game balls have been awarded for years, and no one on the outside knew about it. Tomlin has said he sometimes uses his Tuesday news conferences to speak to his players. Well, consider this a message to Fields and other new Steelers to keep certain postgame rituals inside the locker room.
Up next
The Steelers play host to the Chargers at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers lead the all-time series 24-11, but they have lost the past two meetings to the Chargers at home and haven’t beaten them at home since 2009. The Chargers won the most recent meeting, 41-37, in Los Angeles in November 2021.
PFF grades: Don’t sweat Justin Fields’ counting stats amid NFL downward trend
Justin Fields (79.0 overall passing grade) — Concern remains about Justin Fields’ counting stats. He completed 13 of 20 passes for just 117 yards and a touchdown Sunday against Denver. PFF scouts continue to like what they’re seeing, though. Fields’ passing grade remains fifth best in the NFL through two weeks. Only Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa have more than Fields’ four big-time throws, graded by PFF as among the best in the NFL in a given week. He still hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play. And his adjusted completion percentage, which factors out drops, is an impressive 79.5% and ranked in a tie for eighth in the NFL with Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Also worth noting? League-wide passing yards per game are down sharply this season. From a peak of 243.8 in 2015 and 218.9 last season to 193.6 through two weeks this season. So if the concern is that he doesn’t look like Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger in their primes out there, very few others in today’s NFL realistically do. The mold Fields is playing in is more the norm now, and the big question he must answer now is how consistently he can keep playing well within it.
Dan Moore Jr. (78.6 overall grade) — He just keeps paying off coach Mike Tomlin’s faith in him despite calls for Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones — the team’s past two first-round NFL draft picks — to take over at the tackle spots for good. Through two weeks, Moore’s overall grade ranks 20th among all NFL offensive linemen and 10th among tackles. Both his run blocking (74.8) and pass blocking (77.5) grades are solid, so he’s consistent in both phases. And he’s allowed just one pressure — a hurry — on 64 pass-blocking snaps. Simply put, he’s been a good player. Whether that can continue across a full 17-game schedule, considering Moore has never scored better than 62.4 in his first three NFL seasons, is a different matter. For now, though, he’s making Fautanu and Jones earn their playing time.
Cory Trice Jr. (90.1) — The defense’s highest-graded player Sunday against Denver wasn’t T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick — the guys who make the big bucks. It was the reserve corner who was looking to prove he belonged in the rotation with starters Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson in a meaningful way. The sample size is not huge. He played just 21 snaps. A total of 19 of them, however, were coverage snaps, keeping him busy when he did see the field. Despite the workload, he was targeted just twice, allowing one catch for nine yards. He added two tackles. And he made the timely pick of quarterback Bo Nix in the end zone to thwart one of the Broncos’ most dangerous drives of the day — all encouraging signs for the Steelers’ depth at the position.
DeShon Elliott (88.7 season grade) — The free agent safety added this offseason is also making his presence felt on this defense. His overall grade through two weeks is the second highest on the unit, trailing only Watt’s mark of 93.0. He notched the team’s first interception of the season in Week 1 at Atlanta. He then had an impressive tackle for loss on a crucial third-and-1 play Sunday vs. Denver. The good work has continued beyond those flashy plays, however. Elliott has been targeted just five times in 55 coverage snaps, allowing zero catches. And he’s been flying downhill to add five solo tackles and seven assists, including one stop, which PFF defines as plays that result in failure for the opposing offense. He did not come here with the same hype as free agent newcomers Patrick Queen and Russell Wilson, but he’s certainly playing like he deserves some through two weeks.
