When the Pittsburgh Steelers hit the practice field Thursday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe for the first day of training camp, it was a bit of a shock to see veteran quarterback Russell Wilson sitting out of practice.
Turns out, Wilson is dealing with a calf issue, which has head coach Mike Tomlin being a bit cautious with his starting quarterback early in training camp.
After missing his second straight day of practice Friday, Wilson said he tweaked his calf doing sled pushes during the conditioning test under the new strength and conditioning staff, which has him on the shelf to start training camp.
“We were doing a sled push thing and just got a little…tweaked it a little bit,” Wilson said to reporters, according to video via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo on Twitter. “So, just working hard and just sometimes things happen. But the good thing, the good news is that I feel good and we will get there in time. And good thing is I’m getting a lot of the mental reps and throwing, throwing stuff on the side and the post-practice and all that as well.”
Russell Wilson said he injured his calf while pushing a sled during the conditioning test.
He said it’s “nothing too serious.” Didn’t put any timeline on his return. pic.twitter.com/XJn2VCZ1PB
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) July 26, 2024
The Steelers hired a whole new strength and conditioning staff this offseason, bringing in Western Pennsylvania native Phil Matusz in as the head strength and conditioning coach, Justus Galac as Mastusz’s assistant and Roderick Moore Jr. as the sports science coordinator.
The conditioning test was different with the new staff. That and some of the changes in the practice sessions, having weekday practices at 10:30 in the morning could potentially be attributed to the new S&C staff.
It’s not a great start that the starting quarterback tweaked his calf in the conditioning test, but Wilson was quick to praise the new staff and downplay the injury.
“Yeah, we were doing a bunch of drills, and it was like the fourth time we did the sled. So just, you know, felt a little something,” Wilson said, according to video via DeFabo. “But, like I said, we have a great training room, we have great people, great doctors and all that. So I feel good.
“It’s nothing to panic about.”
While he’s a bit frustrated that he’s on the shelf in his first training camp with his new team, Wilson is happy he’s at least able to get mental reps in and throw on the side. That allows him to stay somewhat sharp while remaining smart, treating the injury properly.
Tomlin classified Wilson as day-to-day, while Wilson said that if the Steelers had a game today, he would have played. That’s encouraging, but for now it’s about taking it slow, knowing that the Steelers have some time to let Wilson heal properly before rushing him back to the field.
“I love practice. I hate missing practice. I hate not being out there, and it’s always been a thing for me my whole career is at practice,” Wilson said. “So, that’s why I’m being super intentional, still getting all the plays, seeing everything, walking through everything still, doing everything I can, even after practice, coming out here and getting extra work and whatever it may be.
“The great news is that we’ve got a lot of time with the guys in the offseason, so I feel really confident with the guys that we have and the guys that we’re throwing to.”
Right now, Wilson is limited to those mental reps and post-practice throwing sessions.
The Steelers are making the correct call being cautious with him and taking it slow. But it is offering an opportunity to backup quarterback Justin Fields, who has had some flashes the first two days of training camp.
We’ll wait and see when Wilson hits the field for practice. Good news is it seems to be something relatively minor, which is a relief. Just maybe avoid having your quarterbacks work on sled pushes.
