If Mike Tomlin had his way, the Jets would’ve gone into the weekend without knowing whether they would face Justin Fields or Russell Wilson — or both.
But Steelers wideout George Pickens might have ruined Tomlin’s attempt at some quarterback gamesmanship.
After Tomlin told reporters Friday that he had decided on a starting quarterback but wanted to keep his call “in-house,” Pickens revealed that he had worked extra with Wilson around practices since it’ll be “his first start.”
Wilson took first-team reps to start the week and appeared set to step into the starting role — which he originally won out of training camp — after missing Pittsburgh’s first five games with a calf injury.
He was active for Week 6 but backed up Fields while getting acclimated into the offense.
“I thought he was sharp,” Tomlin said Friday of Wilson. “I thought Justin was sharp as well. I thought we had a highly productive week from both guys and from the unit as a whole.”
The Steelers’ 4-2 record without Wilson, who was signed in March following two disastrous campaigns with the Broncos, revived some semblance of a quarterback controversy, even with Fields underwhelming (just 1,106 passing yards and five passing touchdowns) and forcing Pittsburgh’s other units to spark victories. When Tomlin didn’t commit to either the eight-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks or the No. 11 pick in 2021 earlier in the week, it forced the Jets to prepare for both.
Still, outside of Fields scrambling more and having additional designed runs that “aren’t necessarily Russell’s forte,” head coach Jeff Ulbrich didn’t expect substantial differences and thought the Jets “have answers either way.”
“[Offensive coordinator] Arthur Smith’s, his passing game is very conducive to an athletic quarterback, as we’ve seen over the years from [Ryan] Tannehill to all the guys that he’s had,” Ulbrich said Wednesday. “So from that standpoint, I don’t see a whole lot of change.”
Ulbrich confirmed that WR Davante Adams will play fully Sunday after the Jets acquired him from the Raiders on Tuesday.
He didn’t carry a designation on the final injury report following a full practice Friday, despite missing Las Vegas’ previous three games before the trade.
“We didn’t know what to expect with him coming here,” Ulbrich said. “Obviously, he’d been listed on the injury report with the hamstring, so we had to make an assessment once he got here and he’s looked fantastic. … Obviously, there’s not as much of the learning curve that a typical guy would have. For one, he’s experienced. For two, he’s familiar with this offense. And for three, his relationship with Aaron [Rodgers] is just obviously next level.”
Ulbrich ruled out CB Michael Carter II (back). … CB D.J. Reed (groin) will be a game-time decision. … TE Tyler Conklin (hip) was a full participant and listed as questionable, along with LB Chazz Surratt (heel). … Adams (hamstring), Rodgers (ankle), Will McDonald IV (shoulder), Mike Williams (personal), Tyron Smith (rest) and Morgan Moses (knee) were all full participants Friday and didn’t carry a status designation.
