Oct 8, 2024 12:35 pm: Head coach Mike Tomlin said that Fields will begin Week 6 prep Wednesday as the Steelers' first-team quarterback, while Russell Wilson (calf) works with the second team in his first full practice since Week 1, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: After being named the Steelers' starter coming out of the preseason, Wilson aggravated a calf injury during Week 1 prep that has kept him from playing all season. Fields has stepped in as the Steelers' signal-caller for the first five games, guiding the team to a 3-2 record while completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 7.1 yards per attempt and a 5:1 TD:INT to go with 172 yards and three scores on the ground. Though Fields has generally performed well, Tomlin stopped short of declaring that Fields will retain the starting role for Sunday's game in Las Vegas, especially with the 25-year-old coming off his least efficient outing of the season in the Week 5 loss to Dallas. Tomlin indicated that the Steelers will wait and see how Wilson comes out of his first full practice in more than a month before potentially mixing him in with the first team Thursday and/or Friday. The Steelers will presumably lock in a Week 6 starter following Friday's practice, though Tomlin may not disclose to the media whether it will be Fields or Wilson that ultimately gets the nod Sunday.