Justin Fields' potential demotion in favor of Russell Wilson comes as a surprise to most everyone -- except Fields.
The quarterback was brutally honest in his self-assessment Thursday when speaking with reporters leading up to the team's Week 7 matchup with the Jets, ahead of which Pittsburgh has given Wilson first-team reps as he gears up for possibly his first start as a Steeler.
"I don't think I played good enough, if I'm being real with you," Fields said, via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "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, who should not."
Fields wasn't spectacular as the Steelers' starting quarterback in their first six games, but he made plenty of plays and showed incremental growth as both a passer and as the conductor of an offense forced to operate with a piecemeal offensive line. Fields threw for 240-plus yards in two of his six starts, tallied five touchdown passes (and just one interception), ran for 231 yards and five touchdowns and performed well enough to keep the job, making Mike Tomlin's decision to move toward Wilson at 4-2 on the season a bit of a shock.
"I think first of all, Justin has done a great job," Wilson told reporters on Thursday. "I think Justin’s a tremendous quarterback. I’ve gone against him over the years. He’s a tremendous football player and a great teammate. I think more importantly for us as we continue to go on through the season, we want to get better and continue to grow. That’s always the goal every year.”
Wilson, who has been sidelined by a calf injury, said that he feels "more like" himself this past week, per The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
For those watching the Steelers each week, two truths emerged: Their defense was good enough to give them a chance to win every game, and despite a lack of weapons, Fields was doing an adequate-or-better job as their quarterback. He certainly wasn't a problem.
Still, Fields isn't satisfied with what he showed in his six starts.
"Not really. I mean, I want to be 6-0 right now, but it was a great opportunity for me," Fields said. "Of course, I'm grateful for the opportunity. I did get those first six weeks, and we'll just see what happens."
The possible pivot to Wilson represents a key moment in Pittsburgh's season. The results could be better than what Fields produced and justify Tomlin's decision, or the veteran could struggle so significantly that Tomlin quickly turns back to Fields. In the latter scenario, the hope would be that such struggles are only temporary and don't lead to greater issues.
The younger signal-caller is preparing for all outcomes and is willing to support Wilson as best as he can.
"I'm just doing the same thing I was doing," Fields said. "I just do my job at the end of the day and whether that's playing, it's helping the guys out on the sideline, tell him what I see, helping the rest out if he's out there. So just small stuff like that."