PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers thought they settled their quarterback competition when coach Mike Tomlin anointed Russell Wilson the starter for Sunday’s opener in Atlanta.
Turns out, maybe not.
The Steelers listed Wilson as “questionable” for Week 1 after the 35-year-old aggravated a calf injury in practice on Thursday, potentially opening the door for Justin Fields to get the nod against the Falcons.
Neither player offered any hints at the plan, with both saying they are preparing as if they will play.
“I’m trying to get my body ready to go and rock and roll,” said Wilson, who declined to specify which calf is hurt. “So we’re doing everything we can.”
Wilson said he “felt a little funny” on Thursday during individual drills, with Tomlin pulling him out of the team portion of practice as a precaution.
The 35-year-old Wilson — who initially injured the calf during a conditioning test when the Steelers reported to training camp in late July — admitted he “didn’t do much” on Friday in an effort to be smart and plans to get treatment right up until game time.
“I’ll go if I can go and do everything I can to try and help us win, that’s how I think about it,” he said. “And if not I’m going to do everything I can to help us win that way, too.”
While there have been times earlier in his career when Wilson was limited in practice but found a way to play on Sunday, things are considerably different this time around. He’s in his first season in Pittsburgh and his first year with new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Tomlin has at times accommodated experienced veterans who missed significant chunks of practice during the week, including former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The NFL’s longest-tenured coach may not be as generous when it comes to running an offense with so many new parts, from the quarterback to the coordinator to two offensive linemen making their first career starts to plenty of question marks at wide receiver behind George Pickens.
While Wilson held the “pole position” to be the starter from the moment he signed with Pittsburgh just hours into free agency in March, Tomlin waited until last week to officially make the designation, a nod of respect to the progress Fields made after being acquired in a trade with Chicago just days after Wilson joined the Steelers.
The camp injury to Wilson allowed Fields to get plenty of practice reps with the starters. Fields essentially shrugged when asked if the uncertainty surrounding Wilson affects his mindset.
“I always prepare like I’m a starter,” Fields said. “You just never know what can happen.”
Fields was a rookie playing behind Andy Dalton in Chicago in 2021 when Dalton took an awkward step while running out of bounds in Week 3. Next thing Fields knew, he was in the huddle full-time, the start of an uneven three seasons with the Bears that ended with Chicago sending him to Pittsburgh.
The 25-year-old became well-versed in the roller-coaster nature of playing in the NFL, particularly when you’re the quarterback for a prominent team.
“You really can’t ride the wave of emotions,” he said. “You know, you have got to kind of keep feelings out of it. My job is to be the best player I can be for this team. So, whether that’s starting, whether that’s being a backup … my job is to be here for the team and, do whatever I can to make us successful.”
Fields said the game plan doesn’t change regardless of the quarterback, though his running ability would add a dimension that Wilson cannot as he enters his 13th season. Smith talks to each quarterback regularly about what they like and they don’t like, something that hasn’t changed for Fields while serving as the backup.
“Arthur, he’s been in multiple offenses,” Fields said. “He’s played with different style quarterbacks, quarterbacks that can run, quarterbacks that aren’t so great with their legs. So you know it’s more so the play calling and how he dials it up for us.”
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