Russell Wilson won the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback battle, earning the right to make the season-opening start with his third NFL team. However, all of that is now in doubt ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Steelers injury report entering Week 1 already features multiple starters, with both offensive linemen Troy Fautanu (knee) and Isaac Seumalo (pectoral) uncertain to play on Sunday. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, running back Jaylen Warren (hamstring) is trending toward playing in the season opener.
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However, NFL news surfaced on Thursday that Wilson’s status is increasingly uncertain. After being unlisted on Wednesday, the Steelers starting quarterback was a limited participant during Thursday’s practice due to a calf injury. There’s now increasing doubt about his availability for Week 1.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Wilson’s availability for Sunday is “firmly up in the air” due to calf tightness that could force Justin Fields to become the Steelers starting quarterback for Week 1.
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“Not a good sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of the reasons the Steelers were so cautious with the calf status of Russell Wilson is because these thigns really do tend to linger…Now we’re wondering if he’s going to be healthy enough to go. He is going to be checked out by doctors. Just considering how unbelievably cautious the Steelers medical staff has been as it pertains to calf issues, I think it’s fair to say we do not know right now if Russell Wilson is actually going to be out there at less than 100 percent.”
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on the Week 1 status of Pittsburgh Steelers starting QB Russell Wilson
If Wilson is playing at less than 100 percent, both the Steelers coaching staff and the team’s medical staff could easily step in to prevent him from playing. While Fields struggled in the preseason, the team did like a lot of the things it saw from him on the practice field this summer.
- Russell Wilson stats 2023 (ESPN):Â 98.0 QB rating, 66.4% completion rate, 26-8 TD-INT, 3,070 passing yards, 6.9 yards per attempt, 7-8 record
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith already planned to keep Fields involved in the offense even with Wilson starting. If the veteran can’t go, Pittsburgh would have every reason to sit him in Week 1 and take extra precautions with the calf injury. Of course, that also opens the door to Wilson having an opportunity to steal the starting job from Wilson if he excels in Week 1 and leads the Steelers to a win.
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