The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to have their “pole position” starting quarterback on the field sooner rather than later as they enter the final two weeks of training camp at Saint Vincent College. After suffering a calf injury during the team’s conditioning test, Russell Wilson has been sidelined for a majority of practice, but could return as soon as next week.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, there’s “optimism” that Wilson will be back to a full participant when the team returns to practice next week. The Steelers will host one more day on Sunday before having a day off. They’ll then return on Tuesday for three days of practice before hosting the Houston Texans in their preseason opener.
“The plan, to my understanding, is he’s going to see the doctor again this coming week,” Pelissero said. “There’s optimism that he’s going to be fine, be able to get back out there and take back some of those reps that he’s been giving up to [Justin Fields].”
With Wilson sidelined, the Steelers have gotten plenty of opportunity to see what the offense looks like under Fields. The plan coming into training camp was not to have a real quarterback battle on their hands, but after two weeks and plenty of impressive moments from Fields, it’s hard to deny that the Steelers will need to consider their options before Week 1.
To this point, Wilson has taken very minimal snaps during team drills or walk through, but has been the first quarterback to take a snap on numerous occasions – all for running plays. Upon his return, it’s expected that he’ll become the QB1, and find himself with a lead in whatever competition Fields has started during his time as the starter.
The Steelers will remain at Saint Vincent College until the weekend of the 16th, giving them roughly two weeks to see both of their starter-worthy quarterbacks in action.
