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Ben Roethlisberger Strongly Disagrees With Steelers' Latest Apparent QB Change

With Russell Wilson's health better, the question remains whether Pittsburgh should start him over Justin Fields.

Madison Williams

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attends a game.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attends a game. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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It's looking likely that the Pittsburgh Steelers will start Russell Wilson on Sunday vs. the New York Jets as he nears a return from a calf injury he's been dealing with all regular season.

In his absence, Justin Fields has led the Steelers to a 4-2 start, impressing many people along the way–including former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger was a champion of Fields earlier in the season, and now he's doubling down and saying that he thinks Pittsburgh should stick with Fields for the time being, even if Wilson is healthy.

"But, all in all, I would absolutely not even think about taking him out of the game right now," Roethlisberger said. "I would keep him in there. Even if he has a bad game, I would keep him in here. Right now, they're rolling. Yeah, they lost two, they got this win. I think he's playing well enough."

Roethlisberger cited Fields's footwork as a unique aspect that Wilson won't be able to contribute to the team.

"It's good to know what you have at the backup and Russ is there if you need him," Roethlisberger continued. "I just think what you're going to get from Russ is more pocket presence to throw the ball down the field, but you're not going to get that extend the play like Justin does because he's a running back back there when he decides to run."

Coach Mike Tomlin hasn't stated who's going to be the starting quarterback on Sunday, but Wilson has been taking first team reps this week.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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