Rex Ryan believes the Pittsburgh Steelers must stick to their principles Justin Velden continue after week 1 even if Russel Wilson is ready to return to the field in week 2.

In one of the more unexpected outcomes of Week 1, Fields led the Steelers to a win over the visiting Atlanta Falcons in a game where the latter was expected to establish itself as a force in the NFC. That certainly didn’t happen in Kirk Cousins’ debut with the franchise.

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Although Fields didn’t throw a touchdown, the Steelers scored all of their points via Chris Boswells leg, he controlled the game well and threw Pittsburgh into solid positions at the right time. His performance, along with Fields’ potential, has Ryan singing the praises of the former Ohio State quarterback, believing in his ability to move forward.

“He should be. Absolutely, right now,” Ryan said, on whether Fields should start in Week 2 and beyond, via Stand up. “Look, nothing against Russell Wilson, because he’s not healthy right now. So the decision is simple. You know me, I’ve always called this guy the future, because I love the ability of this guy right here. But the future is a whole series of nows, and right now he gets to play, he gets to play, and I thought, in the offseason, it’s by far the best trade, in the middle of the season, for nothing. A sixth-round pick, which was absolutely insane.

“Look, I get it, in the beginning, when he came into the league, he was a better athlete than a quarterback, so what? So was Steve Young, you know what I mean? So was Randall Cunningham. Guess what? They can get better. Those guys have a tendency to get better. When this guy starts scoring, you’re looking at a superstar.”

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While the former coach, now an analyst for ESPN, is concerned about Fields’ place on the Steelers’ roster, the quarterback himself is not. He told reporters after the win that he’s not even thinking about who’ll start next week. He’s just concerned about getting Pittsburgh wins, regardless of who the quarterback is.

“I’m not worried about that at all,” Fields said via NBC“I just came in wanting to win and I’m happy we’re leaving here with a win. As far as who starts and who doesn’t — at the end of the day, I just want to win.”

When the final whistle blew, Fields’ stat line stood at 17/23 for 156 yards, while adding 57 rushing yards on 14 carries. He’ll have to get the ball in the end zone, but it was a solid performance from the quarterback nonetheless.

It remains to be seen whether Mike Tomlin will stick with Justin Fields or if Russell Wilson will return to the starting lineup, depending on his health. However, the veteran quarterback will definitely prefer to start in Week 2 as he looks to exact revenge on the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.