Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media ahead of the preseason opener against the Houston Texans and he was forthcoming about his quarterback plan.

“There’s been some guys that have dealt with minor training camp injuries and things of that nature that [have] limited them some. They won’t participate [in the game] as well — talking about some established guys,” Tomlin noted during his August 7 press conference.

He named quarterback Russell Wilson, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Patrick Queen in that group, while also relaying earlier that guard Isaac Seumalo, defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, and edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith will not play either.

“Those seven guys I don’t have any intentions of utilizing in the game,” Tomlin reiterated.

As for second-string quarterback Justin Fields — who’s been the talk of training camp so far — Tomlin confirmed that the former first-round talent will start with th e first-team offense in place of Wilson.

“I’m probably going to give that quote unquote first unit [with] him included in it a couple of series [vs. the Texans],” he said. “I think [Fields] just comes to compete every day. He’s got an awesome competitive spirit. We’ve got a competitive environment, and it seems like he’s enjoying it. He’s doing a really good job of acclimating himself to it and his teammates, and letting his talent show.”

To be clear, Tomlin did emphasize that the unofficial depth chart he released is accurate at quarterback. Meaning Wilson is still the starter at this time.

However, he added that it “very much is a competition” between the two. “Everything that we do is an audition, not only for [Fields], but for others,” Tomlin stated.

When asked if he is concerned at all about Wilson’s lack of reps with the first-team offense, the Steelers HC responded: “I’m not.”