Though Week 2’s starter under centre seems set in stone, the Pittsburgh Steelers might have a QB conundrum to sort out soon enough.
Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson is approaching a return to full health after tweaking a calf injury, the quarterback told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on Thursday.
Wilson made an appearance at practice on Thursday, partaking in drills with the team in a limited capacity to put pressure on his calf and see how it holds up.
“I feel like I’m getting closer and closer,” Wilson said after practice. “I’m just trying to be smart. Got to do a lot of work today on the field and everything else, throwing and all that. So just trying to be smart.”
Wilson, 35, was poised to start Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons but re-tweaked his calf ahead of the team’s opening game, giving Justin Fields the starting job at QB.
Fields had a decent performance against the Falcons last week, helping the team to an 18-10 win on the back of 156 yards passing and 57 yards rushing. The kicker, Chris Boswell, scored all 18 points for Pittsburgh.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters earlier this week that the team is “preparing as if Justin is going to be our quarterback.”
“I think that’s an appropriate way to do it,” Tomlin added. “Speculation is a waste of time. Russell’s hurt. He’s not available to us.”
The Steelers are set to take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday, which would’ve given Wilson the chance to get some revenge against the team that cut him after the 2023 season.
Wilson threw for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions with the Broncos last season. However, Denver missed the playoffs for a ninth straight season and a second straight with Wilson at the helm.
