Justin Fields to start at QB, play 'couple of series' in Steelers' preseason opener

Russell Wilson, who has just started ramping up his work in team portions of practice after being limited with a calf injury, is among seven veterans on the Pittsburgh Steelers who will not play in the preseason opener Friday night.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday that Justin Fields will start at quarterback and play a “couple of series” when the Steelers face the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium.

Also sitting out the opener will be Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Patrick Queen on defense, and left guard Isaac Seumalo on offense.

Wilson sustained his calf injury during a conditioning test on the day the Steelers reported to training camp. He did not throw his first pass in 11-on-11 activity until Sunday and didn’t take his first significant first-team reps until Monday.

With Wilson sidelined, Fields has gotten the work under center with the first-team offense. Wilson’s status as the starter, however, has not changed.

After the Steelers signed Wilson in March, Tomlin said the 35-year-old quarterback had the “pole position” at the position, and Wilson was listed as the first-string passer on the depth chart Tomlin released Monday.

“That is real,” Tomlin said.

Fields will get a chance to close that gap that exists between himself and Wilson when he faces a Texans team that already has played a preseason game.

“Everything is an audition,” Tomlin said. “Everything we do is an audition not only for him but for others. … (It) very much is a competition. What happens in stadium is weighted heavier than what happens in a practice setting because it’s more game-like.”

The Steelers acquired Fields in a trade after the Chicago Bears elected to go with a fresh start at quarterback with No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams. Tomlin has liked the way the fourth-year veteran has handled the competition through the spring workouts and the first two weeks of training camp.

“I think he comes to compete every day,” Tomlin said. “He’s got an awesome competitive spirit. We’ve got a competitive environment, and it seems like he is enjoying it. He has done a really good job of acclimating himself to it and his teammates and letting his talent show.”