Mike Tomlin isn’t the only one inside the Pittsburgh Steelers practice facility who refuses to speculate on when a change at quarterback might come.

Russell Wilson doesn’t want to discuss when he might get his starting job back, either.

Technically, Wilson hasn’t lost his spot atop Tomlin’s depth chart. It remains unchanged, with Justin Fields being listed as the backup.

But Wilson has made strides this week in his recovery from a calf injury that has prevented him from playing the first two weeks of the season. At some point, Wilson will be healthy enough to start, and Tomlin will have to decide whether to stick with Fields or turn to the 35-year-old veteran quarterback who held pole position through the offseason and preseason.

And as long as the Steelers keep winning — they put their 2-0 record to the test Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers — Wilson’s chances of starting could dwindle.

“I’m just focused on me every day and me being fully healthy,” Wilson said Thursday when asked whether his extended stay on the sidelines could impact his spot on the depth chart. “I have full confidence in our football team, and that’s what really matters to me.”

Two days earlier, Tomlin repeatedly declined to talk about the state of the quarterback position while Wilson remains a limited practice participant. He did so out of deference to Fields, who has led the Steelers to wins at Atlanta and Denver.

“Until Russell gets to a state of readiness where he’s a consideration,” Tomlin said, “I won’t be speculating on any of that in any way.”

Wilson was listed as being limited in practice Thursday as was the case the previous six sessions. Wilson, though, did some work in 7-on-7 drills, an indication he’s getting closer to being a full participant.

“I’m definitely gaining ground,” Wilson said. “I feel good. I was able to do a lot more work today, yesterday. I’m getting better every day.”

In Wilson’s absence, Fields has completed 69.8% of his passes. Although he has passed for just 273 yards and one touchdown, he hasn’t committed a turnover, and his 94.4 passer rating is a respectable 13th in the NFL.

“Justin does everything well,” Wilson said. “He’s a talented athlete. He’s smart, and he works hard. We spend a lot of time together. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help him win these games.”

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith took a conservative approach with Fields in the season opener against the Falcons. Smith opened the offense slightly for Fields against the Broncos, and the results were mixed. Fields completed 13 of 20 passes for just 117 yards, and he threw his first touchdown pass. But he struggled in the second half when he was 3 of 8 for 16 yards and the Steelers gained three first downs.

“He’s playing very smart football, situationally,” Smith said. “He’s understanding the plan, understanding the attack and what we’re trying to accomplish. What has been encouraging to me is his pocket presence. He’s been standing in there when the pocket has gotten dirty, when they’ve brought the heat.

“I thought he made some big-time throws down the field. Some of those were called back. Even on some of those (defensive pass interference calls), I thought the deep ball accuracy was pretty damn good.”

Fields had a 51-yard completion to George Pickens nullified by a holding penalty. A 6-yard TD pass to Pickens was negated by pass interference against Van Jefferson. The Steelers were fortunate to get a field goal on the final play of the half to take a 10-0 lead into intermission.

What transpired in the second half negated some of those positives. Holding penalties contributed to two drives ending in punts. On another, Fields mistimed a third-down snap that running back Jaylen Warren recovered to prevent a turnover.

“That goes back to shooting ourselves in the foot,” Fields said. “Drives aren’t stopping because the defense is stopping us. It’s stopping because we are stopping ourselves. If we clean it up, we’ll be fine.”

Smith liked the poise Fields showed and the hesitancy to tuck the ball and run at the first sign of trouble.

“On those obvious possession-down passing situations, you watch quarterbacks, and Justin is standing in there,” he said. “Every time they bring pressure, which Denver did, you don’t see his eyes go down. He stands in the pocket. There have been a lot of positives.”

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