Russell Wilson ‘roots’ for Justin Fields to ‘do well and make a big play’ as he checks in

While Russell Wilson played the vast majority of the game Thursday night in Cleveland, the Steelers played Justin Fields for six snaps. Two of those snaps produced a 30-yard run and a touchdown, albeit the latter on a pass to Jaylen Warren. The Steelers didn’t leave Wilson out there when Fields entered the game, but that’s okay. Wilson has only one priority, whether he’s on the court or on the sidelines.

“When that happens, all I want us to do is win,” Wilson said of when the Steelers use the Justin Fields package, via the team’s website. “That’s all I care about is what it takes to win. Obviously when Justin gets in there, I hope he does well and makes a big play or whatever it may be . And then when I go back in there, the other way around. We’re always rooting for each other, so I don’t think about it that way.”

While Russell Wilson may be chronically positive, his relationship with Justin Fields is genuine. Recently, he talked about how the two talked about potentially playing together with the Steelers before Pittsburgh traded for Fields. He might not have envisioned them playing in the same game, but at least being on the same roster.

The appreciation the Steelers’ quarterbacks have for each other passes the smell test. Russell Wilson admitted after the Steelers’ loss to the Browns that the competitor in him doesn’t want to get off the field, but he’ll be the first to celebrate if Justin Fields makes a big play when he’s on the sideline watching it happen.

Since the unveiling of the Justin Fields package, Fields has rushed for 43 yards and attempted a pass. He also picked up a roughing the passer call that was critical to one of the Steelers’ touchdown drives. But how many snaps will he take from Russell Wilson going forward?

After all, now that the cat is out of the bag, the Steelers have time to tinker. Playing on a short week Thursday, they didn’t have time to adjust much from last Sunday’s use of Fields. Maybe that’s also partly why they did it in a short week — to get the Browns to scramble while they focused on Wilson.

The Steelers were certainly more adventurous with their usage of Justin Fields against the Browns, including a stretch of multiple snaps where he remained in the game. They also sacked Wilson in the red zone, leading to the Warren touchdown on a Fields pass.

That doesn’t mean we’re suddenly going to see a Taysom Hill-style offense in Pittsburgh. Arthur Smith claims he has two starting quarterbacks with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but the Steelers can’t operate with two. Wilson is the starter until he isn’t. And if that were to happen, he has plenty of time to cheer Fields on from the sidelines.