Steelers Rumors: Russell Wilson truth bomb, WR trade target, Najee injury
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been at the center of some serious drama to begin the week.
After starting 4-2, it appears as though Justin Fields is headed to the bench, at least for the time being, as Russell Wilson is finally healthy and expected to take over.
There are people on both sides of the fence in regard to this situation. Fields has done everything that Pittsburgh has asked of him, but sometimes, the arm talent just isn't up to the caliber that many would like.
However, this quarterback drama is just one piece of the puzzle that the Steelers are trying to figure out. Today, we'll get into a ton of different rumors and reports that have to do with the Steelers and their offense, including quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.
Steelers rumors: QB rumors could be blown way out of proportion
To begin the week, the Steelers are dealing with the drama surrounding their QB situation after head coach Mike Tomlin made comments insinuating that the Week 7 starter would be Russell Wilson instead of Justin Fields.
ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano ($) isn't completely convinced that the Steelers could or should move on from Fields just yet.
"I'm a little bit skeptical, given everything I've heard over the past month and a half about how the staff there is happy with Fields' progress and the way he has grown as the season's gone along. He has executed their game plans, avoided turnovers and won games. And honestly, what evidence is there from the past three years that Wilson will be an upgrade over Fields in the areas in which Fields is short?"
Honestly, why would the Steelers want to move on from Fields?
Tomlin has been a huge fan of Fields all the way back to his days at Ohio State. Now that he finally has Fields on his team playing well, why would Tomlin want to move on from him?
Fields has done everything that could be asked of him. He's been an exceptional runner and he hasn't turned the ball over very often at all. Graziano isn't convinced that Pittsburgh is fully rocking with Wilson just yet and neither am I.
Steelers rumors: Mike Williams could be the perfect WR trade target
The Pittsburgh Steelers desperately need wide receiver help this season. They have George Pickens, but after him, they've received very little production from the rest of their unit. Pittsburgh has been aggressively pursuing wide receiver help, having been heavily rumored to land either Brandon Aiyuk or Davante Adams.
Unfortunately, Adams landed with the New York Jets and Aiyuk re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers. So Pittsburgh is left with the scraps at this point.
NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler recently added some context to available wide receivers in the trade market.
"The acquisition of Adams by the Jets has put free agent signee Mike Williams on the trade block, and a number of teams think the veteran wideout could be on the move soon," Graziano wrote. "Don't be surprised to see Williams in a different uniform in the next few weeks."
Williams, 30, has brought in 10 catches for 145 yards this season. He's set to see his role in the offense downsize quite a bit in New York. If he was moved to Pittsburgh, he would jump up to WR2. The 6-foot-4 wideout would provide quite a different dynamic than anybody on the Steelers roster provides right now.
Steelers rumors: Najee Harris missed practice with a rib injury to begin Week 7
After the first practice of the week, the Pittsburgh Steelers have released their first injury report as we begin Week 7.
One surprising name that was on the list was running back Najee Harris.
Harris sat out of practice with a rib injury that hadn't yet been mentioned or reported by anybody in Pittsburgh. This comes after his best performance of the season in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Against the Raiders, Harris rushed for a season high 106 yards on 14 carries. He also scored his first touchdown of the season and his 7.6 yards per carry was the best mark in a single game this year.
It brings his totals through six weeks up to 96 carries for 376 yards and a touchdown. Harris has also added 14 catches for 135 yards.
Joining Harris on the sideline for practice were TJ Watt (rest), Cam Heyward (rest), Larry Ogunjobi (rest), Isaac Seumalo (rest), Damontae Kazee (ankle), Nick Herbig (hamstring), Zach Frazier (ankle), and Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle). MyCole Pruitt (knee) was a full participant and Alex Highsmith (groin) was a limited participant,
Najee Harris should be expected to play this week unless he misses the entire week of practice. With Patterson also on the sidelines as of now, Pittsburgh can't afford to lose Najee in Week 7 against the Jets. Especially after Harris looked very aggressive and explosive with the ball last week.