Despite still being involved in a quarterback controversy if and when Wilson returns from his calf injury, Fields is remaining focused on the job at hand.

Fields hasn’t been asked to do a ton in the Steelers offense, but he’s protecting the ball well and leaning into the strengths of the roster as they have gutted out a pair of low-scoring wins.

Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that the Steelers are once again preparing for Fields to start on Sunday while they await Wilson’s status for Sunday’s matchup against the 2-0 Los Angeles Chargers. either way, Fields’ focus has remained in the same place.

Should Justin Fields remain the starter even when Russell Wilson returns?

The Steelers named Russell Wilson their starting quarterback in training camp, but Justin Fields has gotten the start in the first two weeks after Wilson went down with a calf injury before the season opener. Fields hasn’t been lighting the world on fire, but he has done his job and played within himself on the way to a 2-0 start.

Regardless of how pedestrian the young quarterback’s stats look so far this season, Fields should remain the starter even when Wilson is healthy. Fields gives the Steelers equally as good of a chance to win this season, while also providing much more room for future growth.

At this point, we know what Wilson is at this stage of his career. He has declined significantly from his peak athletic days in Seattle, and he still has the same limitations that he has always had without the same element of magic. Those limitations are what caused the Broncos to eat so much of his contract and move on from the veteran at the end of last season.

Fields and Wilson, ironically, have a lot of the same weaknesses. They hold onto the ball too long at times, they don’t step up in the pocket, and they don’t attack the middle of the field. However, Fields still gives you the elite explosiveness as a scrambler that Wilson doesn’t have anymore, and that alone can change games for an offense that needs to win in the margins as much as they can.

Fields is deep enough into his career where his major limitations will likely never become strengths, but there’s still time for him to improve on the margins and become a viable everyday starter in the league, while Wilson is just a bridge option at this point. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers would be wise to roll with the youngster from here on out.