**Russell Wilson Poised to Make Season Debut Against Jets, According to George Pickens**

PITTSBURGH – While Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has remained tight-lipped about the team's starting quarterback for Sunday night, wide receiver George Pickens has seemingly spilled the beans. Pickens indicated that Russell Wilson will make his first start of the season against the New York Jets, hinting that extra practice sessions were held to ensure they are in sync.

"Yeah, [we've been] getting on the same page after practice, throwing more than usual because this is his first start," Pickens said when asked about working with Wilson during practice. This revelation came about half an hour after Tomlin declined to disclose any details about the starting quarterback plan, choosing to keep the decision internal.

"I am, but I'm just going to keep that in-house," Tomlin remarked. "But I thought [Wilson] was sharp. I thought Justin [Fields] was sharp as well. I thought we had a highly productive week from both guys and from the unit as a whole."

Wilson, age 35, has been practicing fully for the second consecutive week after recovering from a lingering calf injury. Earlier, teammates confirmed that Wilson took first-team reps and led the quarterback rotation during individual drills. During this period, Fields, who managed a 4-2 record while Wilson was out, was next in the quarterback rotation.

"Justin has been really good, and we've been really good at times, but not to be confused with great," Tomlin noted earlier this week. "This is a competitive league. We're trying to position ourselves to be that team and we got a player with talent who hadn't had an opportunity to play, so we're going to potentially explore those things. Sometimes it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what Justin has done or has not done."

Neither Wilson nor Fields confirmed the starting plans for Sunday during their Thursday interviews. Wilson mentioned he was "preparing to be ready to go," while Fields admitted his performance over six starts wasn't up to his own standards, stating, "I didn't play good enough, if I'm being real with you."

Fields' performance has been met with praise from coaches and teammates alike, despite his self-criticism. "I think that he did the best he possibly can," running back Najee Harris commented. "I think he did a really good job, and he shouldn't be so hard on himself. We're all proud of him. Don't be so hard on yourself. We got your back. I got your back."

Harris also emphasized the importance of contributions from all players, adding, "I think that all 11 of us got to pitch in and be in there. We need both of [the quarterbacks] for sure."