When Russell Wilson left the Broncos to join the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, it seemingly came with a guaranteed starting position. This was despite his lackluster performances in Denver, even sitting on the bench in his last two appearances in a Broncos shirt. But as training camp came around, he injured his calf muscle. Suddenly, what was supposed to be a fresh start turned into anything but. And now, with Justin Fields leading the Steelers, it starting to look like Wilson is in for more time on the bench.

At least, this is what NFL insider Albert Breer believes. After a perfect start to the season, going three for three, the Steelers registered two consecutive losses. Scheduled to face the Raiders in Week 6, Mike Tomlin’s team will look to convert their record to 4-2 at the Allegiant Stadium. With Wilson off the injury list this week, who will be the starting quarterback? Well, it looks like we know where Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s head is at.

In a conversation with Steelers insider Brian Batko, Smith expressed his admiration for Justin Fields. , “He is unique in terms of the modern era, a guy that just tries to work on things, no drama with him. He doesn’t try to live through his Avatar, created perception… That’s what I really enjoy about working with him.” That far-from-subtle comment about a “created perception” was seemingly a dig at Russell Wilson, who’s lately become infamous for his lack of authenticity.

Discussing Arthur Smith’s “extremely coachable, extremely bright” comment about Fields on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the host asked Albert Breer, “Were you surprised by the lack of subtlety in the answer to, ‘What do you think of Justin Fields?'” The NFL insider’s reply was striking but not unexpected.

“I would be if I didn’t know where the momentum in that building has been going in the last six weeks. The momentum has been, ‘Stick with Justin Fields.'” In the 5 games he’s played this season, the 25-year-old has registered 5 touchdowns while throwing for 961 yards with a completion rate of 67.6%. Those are his best stats after the first five games of a season. As was evident from Smith’s comments about Fields, Albert Breer continued, “He is loved by the coaching staff and has made progress week over week.” 

That Week 2 win over the Colts, where he was the Steelers’ standout player, throwing for 312 yards and 1 touchdown with a passer rating of 104.0, probably increased the staff’s faith in Fields. Breer continued, “I do think that they feel there are some limitations to what they can do if they put Russell Wilson out there. So, I think they’re viewing this not only on where the two players are right now, but where they’re going to be in [November and December], and who’s ultimately going to give them the best chance in January.”

During his two-year stint with the Broncos, Russell Wilson could only manage an 11-19 record, failing to lead the team to the playoffs in either season. And now that Justin Fields seems to be doing well as the starting quarterback for the Steelers, the 35-year-old’s chances of claiming that spot for good don’t seem too high. Per Breer, the Blitzburgh will likely go one of two ways: –

The insider explained, “They give Russell a shot at it — which they might. They may throw him in there and see what he can do. Justin Fields is going to wind up being the quarterback of the Steelers, whether it’s through not giving Russell the job back or eventually giving the job back to Justin after giving Russell a crack at it.” But can this conclusion be made despite Pittsburgh’s Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys, where they lost 17-20?

Well, the loss and Fields’ performance can be attributed to the weird circumstances that affected the Week 5 game, as Breer mentioned, too. The field was wet, which resulted in a delay. The thing is, though, the Steelers see potential in Fields. Arthur Smith sees potential in him. As the NFL insider put it, “They can do more with Justin Fields… I’m not talking about him becoming Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, but they believe they can turn Justin Fields into a really good playoff-level quarterback.”

The overarching belief is that Russell Wilson will stay on the bench for the Week 6 game against the Raiders. What’s interesting is that even he isn’t too sure about what to expect going into the game. And, turns out, Albert Breer isn’t the only one who thinks Justin Fields is the way to go for Pittsburgh.

It might be “impossible” for Russell Wilson to become QB1 for the Steelers

On The Insiders, Ian Rapoport said, “You can’t take Justin Fields off the field yet. I know the last two games have been a little bumpier, but certainly, he has done more than enough to solidify his job as the starting QB for [the Raiders] game.” This came after head coach Mike Tomlin said that Wilson would be “active” for Sunday’s game, suggesting that he would be a backup to Fields. Rapoport wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Echoing Albert Breer’s revelation about the direction of momentum in Pittsburgh, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini said, “It’s been made clear to me over the last few weeks that the locker room and coaching staff in Pittsburgh love Fields… Based on my read, the momentum Fields has built might make it impossible for a healthy Wilson to reclaim that spot at the top of the depth chart.”

As for the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback, when asked his expectations for a return, all Wilson could say was, “That’s a big question.” Instead of focusing on that, he’s just working on getting as fit as possible for when he finally gets to play. So, it looks like the plan is clear for the Steelers. Fans might see Russell Wilson on the field pretty soon. Only his performance will decide his position as QB1. For now, Fields is their first choice for the role.