Ben Roethlisberger isn’t ready for the Steelers to pull the plug on the Justin Fields experiment.
With the possibility of a quarterback switch looming in Pittsburgh amid Russell Wilson’s return to health following a lingering calf issue, the Steelers legend said Monday he “would absolutely not think about” removing Fields from the role of QB1 after the team’s 4-2 start.
“I thought Justin played a good game. He went on some spurts there where he had a couple bad throws in a row, but all in all, I would absolutely not even think about taking him out of the game right now,” Roethlisberger, 42, said following the Steelers’ 32-13 win over the Raiders in Week 6 on his “Footbahlin” podcast, according to CBS Sports.
“I would keep him in there. And even if he has a bad game, I would keep him in there. Because right now, they’re rolling … I think he’s playing well enough, I think he’s doing enough, you saw with his legs, especially.”
Fields, who landed with the Steelers in March following a trade with the Bears, started the season in place of an injured Wilson, who was originally named the starter out of training camp.
The former first-round pick has thrown five touchdowns and one interception, while adding five rushing scores.
Roethlisberger, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the franchise who called it a career after 18 seasons in 2022, lauded Fields’ talent as a runner while comparing the 25-year-old’s skillset to Wilson’s.
“It’s good to know what you have at the backup and Russ is there if you need him,” Roethlisberger added, per CBS Sports, “I think what you’re gonna get from Russ is more pocket presence to throw the ball down the field. But you’re not gonna get that extend-the-play like Justin does. He’s a running back back there when he decides to run. He’s a really, really talented runner as well.”
Roethlisberger has long advocated for Fields, the Bears’ first-round pick in 2021, stating in September the team should stick with the hot hand.
“If Russ is healthy, I’m sticking with Justin,” he said on his podcast at the time. “I think that he has earned, deserves the right to stay there.”
Roethlisberger’s remarks came one day before Steelers coach Mike Tomlin revealed that Wilson is in consideration to start against the Jets in Week 7.
Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with the team this offseason, then got first-team reps Wednesday in practice in another sign that he would get the nod.
When asked Thursday about the possibility of being benched, Field criticized his performance.
He’s completing 66.2 percent of his passes.
“I mean, I don’t think I’ve played good enough, if I’m being real with you,” Fields said, according to Pro Football Talk. “If I’m being real with myself, I think if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of who should be playing and who should not. At the end of the day, we got a few wins — of course I’m glad about that. But there are areas that I can get better at, and I’m just gonna continue to work on those and continue to get better.”
A quarterback decision will be made “closer to game time,” Tomlin confirmed.
The Steelers host the Jets (2-4) on “Sunday Night Football” in Davante Adam’s debut with Gang Green.
