Steelers One of Last NFL Teams to Declare Starting Quarterback

PITTSBURGH — Around the National Football league, quarterback battles are wrapping up, with the Denver Broncos naming rookie Bo Nix their Week 1 passer on Wednesday. In Pittsburgh, the battle between Steelers quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson continues to rage.

Wilson said on Wednesday that he intends to play in the team’s third and final preseason game of the 2024 season on Saturday against the Detroit Lions, and head coach Mike Tomlin seems content to let the process play out through the final week of the preseason.

After the Broncos named Nix their starter on Wednesday, the Steelers are one of just two teams around the NFL that have not done so. The New England Patriots are continuing their battle between first-round pick Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett.

The Steelers don’t seem to be in a hurry.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Field during a training camp practice on Aug. 1, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

“There’s a lot of things that we’re working on,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said on Wednesday. “You’re still kind of in training camp. You’re kind of going through a mock week just to get your logistics down as a staff and how you prepare. It’s not really the same, but there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. But the urgency is, whoever’s out there, whoever’s starting at tackle, quarterback and wide out, we’ve got to keep working and get better.”

The Steelers have a history of taking things down to the wire. In 2022, they didn’t name Mitch Trubisky the team’s starting quarterback until 2022, just days before the season opener. It seems that Tomlin and company could be angling for a similar tact this year.

The Steelers will wrap the preseason in Detroit on Saturday, and will likely be back at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for practice on Monday and Tuesday ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s cut-down from 90 players to 53.

The smaller version of the team will then close out the week before getting the weekend off, and returning to practice on Tuesday, Sept. 3 for their first game week of the season.

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