Player: QB Russell Wilson
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: For the first time since the start of training camp, Russell Wilson threw passes in 11-on-11 work yesterday. The listed starter on the Steelers’ first official depth chart, he is nearing a full return since injuring his calf.
The Steelers didn’t exactly pay a fortune for Russell Wilson, but they still expect big things from him this year. A former Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowler, he is one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. The only problem is his generation is on the way out, if not out already. Now on his third team in four years, Wilson means to prove with the Steelers that he can still win.
But you can’t win from the sideline, and Wilson has been sidelined for most of training camp. Well, he has participated on a limited basis, graduating to some 7-on-7 work. He injured his calf pushing a sled during the Steelers’ conditioning test, a new wrinkle added by the team’s transformed strength and conditioning staff—the sled pushing, not the calf injuring, to be clear.
With Wilson limited, Justin Fields has been the story of training camp, and mostly in a positive way. Even his earlier skeptics are becoming less skeptical about his prospects, but basically every local writer still believes that Russell Wilson is starting the season opener.
Even though Wilson returned to more extensive work yesterday, I don’t anticipate he will play in the first preseason game. The Steelers will host the Houston Texans on Friday, and that’s probably not enough of a turnaround if they are trying to be as cautious and smart as possible to avoid a setback.
But yesterday was obviously a big step in the right direction as they protect their most valuable yet cheapest asset. Make no mistake, while Justin Fields intrigues them, the Steelers believe Russell Wilson gives them the best chance to win a Super Bowl this year. And they mean to do everything in their power to win one of those trophies this year.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
