The Pittsburgh Steelers will be rolling with Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Despite that, there are still questions about whether Justin Fields will take any more snaps, whether it's as the primary passer or in certain situations in which his legs could be utilized. That's why it was so concerning to suddenly see him pop up on the injury report with a hamstring issue. Even though he is considered the backup, it's still good to know that you have a capable quarterback on the bench just in case something unfortunate happens to Wilson.
While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Mark Kaboly explained what's going on with Fields and his last-minute injury designation.
"It's kind of surprising. I didn't see anything that would suggest that he was hurt,” Kaboly said. “There wasn't any big reveal of him hobbling off the field or anything like that... I don't know if it's that concerning right now. It's not like Mike Tomlin is going to tell us anything about injuries. I think they're just being a little bit cautious right now."
Fields is listed as questionable with the injury, and Jay Glazer reported that he will most likely be listed as inactive for their Monday Night Football matchup against the New York Giants. If that is the case, Kyle Allen will be the backup, like he was throughout most of Fields' starts. This position is nothing new to him.
Allen has played in 31 games in his career, with only 19 starts and 12 of those came in his second year in the NFL when he was with the Carolina Panthers. He has a career completion of 62.7%, along with a 62% rate in that 2019 season in Charlotte, North Carolina. He even came in for the Steelers for one play in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys. He completed a 19-yard pass before Fields came back into the game.
While Glazer reported that the Steelers were wanting to try out a two-quarterback system, who knows if that is actually the case? Head Coach Mike Tomlin teased that idea during preseason and continued to do so after he benched Fields, but they never tried it in Wilson's season debut against the New York Jets in Week 7. Was he serious, or was it a smoke screen?
At very least, it's not worth it for the Steelers to trot him out there for a play or two and aggravate that injury. With the bye week coming up after the game, Pittsburgh will have plenty of time to get Fields and his teammates rested up and ready to go. This upcoming game against the Giants will be a good indicator to see if Wilson has momentum, as well as how well he can do without the young gun breathing down his neck.
Steelers Are Exercising Caution With More Than Just Fields
With the bye week coming up, many players have been deemed to be out before the Steelers' last game before the bye week. Dylan Cook and Tyler Matakevich were both seen as guys that could be activated off of Injured Reserve; however, both of them were ruled out, even though Cook was a full participant in practice throughout the week.
Cordarrelle Patterson was a limited participant in practice throughout the week. Even though he usually does not get much usage, Tomlin opted to hold him out of this game as well. Aaron Shampklin will once again take over kick returner duties, as well as acting as depth behind the two-headed monster at running back.
The bye week could not have come at a better time for the Steelers. Now is the time to be cautious with their injured players. Hopefully, many of them will heal up during that time, and then it's full steam ahead throughout the gauntlet of the rest of the schedule.
