PITTSBURGH — Russell Wilson will start at quarterback in the Pittsburgh Steelers' season opener in Atlanta, coach Mike Tomlin announced Wednesday.
Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in March, entered the offseason in «pole position» for the starting job, a spot he retained despite a calf injury that sidelined him throughout the majority of the Steelers' training camp.
Justin Fields, who the Steelers acquired from the Chicago Bears in a March trade for a conditional sixth-round pick, will back Wilson up.
Though Tomlin said the two were in a competition for the job throughout the preseason, Wilson always appeared to have the edge, including in the final preseason game when he played just five snaps and led the first-team offense to a scoring drive before being taken out.