Reports out of Steelers training camp on Tuesday noted that quarterback Russell Wilson took his most extended action of the pre-season. Wilson, who has been limited almost exclusively to group work as he recovers from calf and ankle injuries, took four reps in the team’s “7 Shots” drill and seven in their 11-on-11 period. Fellow quarterback Justin Fields took twice as many in the 11-on-11 session, but the increase in Wilson’s reps means that the veteran may finally be getting ramped up and ready to roll.

The question on many people’s lips right now is this: is that a good thing?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting a healthy Wilson is a problem for the Steelers. Mike Tomlin said Wilson would start the season “in the pole position,” and no one expects him to lose that advantage simply because he missed some reps in early August. In all likelihood, the Steelers will ease Wilson back into the lineup throughout the week, then allow Fields and the team’s other quarterbacks, Kyle Allen and John Rhys Plumlee, to call signals in the pre-season opener Friday night against Houston. From there, Wilson will probably be inserted as the starter and it will be his job to lose. The Steelers indicated as much on Tuesday, naming him QB1 on their initial depth chart release.

That may be the plan for now. But a well-placed monkey wrench could muck it up, forcing the Steelers to make some tough decisions. One such wrench comes in the form of Fields, whose performance has drawn increasing accolades as things have progressed. When I saw Fields at training camp last Thursday, he looked pretty much as I expected. His athleticism was brilliant, his deep-ball prowess was exceptional and his pocket presence was problematic. Fields wowed the crowd with some beautiful downfield throws and by faking defenders out of their proverbial jock-straps in the open field. He also held the ball too long in the pocket, was indecisive in his read progressions and threw an ugly pick-six when he was late getting to a checkdown route in the flat. The potential of Fields was glorious. The reality was frustrating.

Others who have seen Fields up close, and on a more regular basis than me, have been more encouraged. Fields continues to develop chemistry with George Pickens and stands to benefit from the designed boots and rollouts Arthur Smith features in his system. What if, then, Fields lights up the stage against Houston? What if he engineers a couple of scoring drives and looks comfortable processing information? Steelers fans may remember how Kenny Pickett did something similar last off-season, which raised their hopes to absurd levels before everything collapsed. We wouldn’t summon our inner Charlie Brown and actually believe this time Lucy won’t yank the football away before we can boot it? Would we?

Well, maybe. The situation is different this time. Last year, Pickett was the unquestioned starter, and as a second-year player coming off a rookie season where he’d done some good things down the stretch, his progression seemed logical. Pickett was putting distance between himself and his backups and solidifying his position as the team’s potential franchise quarterback. This year, if Fields plays great football in Wilson’s absence, he won’t be opening a gap. He’ll be closing one. And that’s where things could get murky.

If Fields plays well on Friday night, and then yields the reins to Wilson, will the Steelers be left wondering what might have been? Will it be tempting for the coaches, who understand Fields’s massive potential, to see the growth he’s making and not want to stunt it? Doing that, of course, means taking further reps away from Wilson. You can’t play two quarterbacks for very long, especially when both are acclimating to new organizations and new systems. The time is coming for the Steelers to give the bulk of their reps to one or the other. In some ways, it would be a relief if Fields was just so-so against the Texans. Pittsburgh could then turn to Wilson and chip away at Field’s development as the things progress. If Fields plays lights-out, however, turning the page won’t be easy.

The other issue is Wilson. With all this talk of Fields, there is no guarantee Wilson will be terrific. A strong performance by Fields on Friday increases pressure on Wilson to play well once he’s installed as the starter. Competition is a good thing, and as Mike Tomlin says, iron sharpens iron. But no team wants a quarterback controversy heading into the season. If Fields looks great, and Wilson doesn’t, do the Steelers stay with the plan? How long does Wilson hold the “pole position?” And at what point do they make a switch?

These are all premature questions, of course, and a stinker by Fields on Friday could make it a moot conversation. But with both Wilson and Fields signed for just this season, the Steelers must manage the situation well to set themselves up properly for the future. Personally, I hope Fields shines against Houston and forces the coaching staff into some tough decisions. Fields and Wilson pushing each other is great for both now and down the road. Leave it to Tomlin and Smith to sort things out. That’s why they get paid the big money. The better the quarterbacks play, the better the team will be.

One way or another, it will be an intriguing pre-season opener on Friday night at the quarterback position. Get your popcorn ready.