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The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a solid start to the 2024 NFL season. Pittsburgh started 3-0 but has dropped two close games in a row against Indianapolis and Dallas. There is now tension at the QB position due to the struggles of Justin Fields and veteran Russell Wilson getting healthy. Mike Tomlin may have a tough choice on who to start in Week 6.
Russell Wilson practiced in full on Tuesday for the first time this season. There is a chance that Russell Wilson could be active on Sunday, according to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. That is all Tomlin is willing to say on the situation at this time.
Pryor noted that there are multiple variables still to be determine throughout the week of practice. Any of those factors could contribute to a decision whether or not to activate Wilson for Week 6.
It remains an open question if the Steelers would prefer to replace Justin Fields if Russell Wilson is healthy.
Fields has played good, not great, football through five weeks. His Week 5 outing was ugly, totaling only 131 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin doubles down on ‘load management' reason for George Pickens' reduced role
The latest controversy in Pittsburgh surrounds wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens did not have his usual snap count during the team's Week 5 loss to the Cowboys. When asked about it after the game, coach Tomlin said it was simple load management.
“We just wanted to kind of minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity,” Tomlin told ESPN's Brooke Pryor. “We're just trying to manage in terms of the totality of the big picture. He wasn't less of a focal point in terms of our intentions of what we wanted to do offensively, but we did want to cut his reps a little bit in an effort to get higher quality play, just in general.”
Tomlin then compared the move to something that is commonly done with veteran players.
“It's no different than we minimized some of the snaps of D lineman like Cam Hayward and so forth, man,” Tomlin continued. “It is just about snap management. It is no underlying story to be quite honest with you.”
Tomlin has continued to double down on this rationale. However, some Steelers fans are skeptical considering Pickens' low amount of effort on some plays during the Week 5 loss.
“It's certainly things that I'm open to addressing and will and do,” Tomlin said, per Sports Illustrated. “I just don't detail them in settings like this, because it's business between he and I in terms of his growth and development as a player and as a man. I just don't think it aids that growth into the development to address it in open settings such as this. Regarding his behavior, I am aware of that, and obviously that has been and will continue to be addressed. I wasn't aware of the messaging and so, you know, I'm just giving you a knee jerk response to that.”
It will be interesting to see how the Steelers handle Pickens in practice this week. He will also be under a microscope in Week 6.
