Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) stands on the sidelines during the first half of … [+] an NFL exhibition football game against the Houston Texans, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Pittsburgh. The Texans won 20-12. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Pittsburgh Steelers practiced with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.
They will face off again on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh with the stakes at least a little bit higher. Both teams will be playing their second preseason game.
Tomlin appreciated the joint practice because the Bills use a 4-3 defensive alignment while the Steelers line up in a 3-4.
“They’re different than us in some ways, and that’s what made the work really good,” Tomlin said Thursday. “I’d imagine that was good for both offensive lines to see those different structures and get a couple of days’ work, as opposed to one day’s work with it.”
Russell Wilson will get his chance to test the Bills’ 4-3 look as the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback makes his unofficial Steelers’ debut. The Steelers signed Wilson to a $1.21-million contract – the veteran minimum – on March 16 after he was released by the Denver Broncos.
The move was an expensive one for the Broncos. Wilson counts $53 million against their salary cap this season and the 35-year-old will count another $32 million next year.
Wilson sat out last week’s preseason opener because of a calf injury. Justin Fields, another offseason acquisition, started in Wilson’s place and the Steelers lost to the visiting Houston Texans 20-12.
Now, Wilson can begin his quest to prove the Broncos wrong for cutting him just two seasons after making a big trade with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire him.
“He’s had a couple really good days,” Tomlin said. “With each passing day, (the injury) is less of an issue, and so we look forward to him participating in this home venue.”
Tomlin wants to play his first-team offense and defense for four series, though he said it is “not etched in stone.” If history is a guide, the starters will sit out the preseason finale on Aug. 24 when the Steelers visit the Detroit Lions.
“We have a mindset of playing roughly four this time around, but that’s subject to change based on what it is that we see,” Tomlin said. “If they’re highly effective and productive and we get good quality work, we might move on from them to get more of an exposure to the other guys, and so that’s a template in which we work.”
Fields started last week in his first game action with the Steelers following his offseason acquisition from the Chicago Bears in a trade for a conditional 2025 draft pick.
The Bears selected Field in the first round of the 2022 draft and he had a 10-28 record as a starter over three seasons. Chicago moved on from Fields after they chose USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in this year’s draft.
Fields completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards. However, the Steelers did not score during Fields’ three possessions, and he also was part of two botched snaps.
Coincidentally, the Bills were routed by the visiting Bears 33-6 in their first exhibition game last week.
Fields is nominally in competition with Wilson to be the starting quarterback. However, it would be a surprise if Fields begins the season as QB1, provided Wilson is healthy.
“We’re looking for more cleanliness,” Tomlin said. “We didn’t play to our liking last time from a penalty standpoint in some instances, particularly pre-snap things and some fundamental things, (center-quarterback) exchanges, Steelers beating Steelers, we’re not into that. We need to clean all of those things up, those pre-snap things, those things that are 100% controllable.”
