Mike Tomlin: Steelers QB competition 'going to heat up' after Russell Wilson return

When the Steelers take the field for Saturday night’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Russell Wilson will get his first game action in a Pittsburgh uniform. Now fully healthy after suffering a calf strain, he will get the start after Justin Fields did so last week.

It’s the latest turn in the ongoing competition between the two quarterbacks. In fact, according to Mike Tomlin, it’s not going to stop.

Tomlin reaffirmed Wilson is in “pole position” for the starting job, but it’s still a true competition with Fields. Now that they’re both able to get game reps, the staff is going to continue its evaluation as camp rolls along.

“It’s probably in the same place that I’ve described it throughout the spring and the summer,” Tomlin said, via Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola. “Both guys are vying for the role. Russ has pole position because of the collective body of work, the totality of the body of work that he brings into the circumstance. Both guys are new to us.

“We’re getting an opportunity to get to know them through this process. It’s been a great process. Now that Russ has full health, it’s going to heat up over the next couple of weeks, and I’m excited about watching it happen.”

The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year contract after an up-and-down two years in Denver with the Broncos. Then, after trading Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh acquired Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears.

At first, it seemed like Wilson would start and Fields would back him up. But the former Ohio State star impressed in practice as Wilson dealt with his injury, adding a new wrinkle to the competition. Now, the sense is the starter might not be as clear-cut as it once seemed.

“Russell Wilson’s back on the field. … We got that part out of the way,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said on The Insiders. “Now, he’s got to go win the job. I’m serious. He’s got to go win the job. Mike Tomlin always said that Wilson was in the ‘pole position.’ This is not an automatic thing.

“In the spring, he showed them some ups and downs, from what I gathered. The same kind of things we’re hearing about Justin Fields, I’m hearing about Russell Wilson. So now, he’s got to get out there, show it every day on the practice field and show it in the live games, as well.”