For the second time in six weeks, Russell Wilson is dealing with a calf injury. He aggravated the same calf injured during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ conditioning test one day before the team’s first training camp practice. Pittsburgh handled him with care, working him back at a snail’s pace before taking off the training wheels and allowing him to fully practice. The PPG’s Gerry Dulac speculates that Pittsburgh could have the same approach this time around.
Responding to the news of Wilson’s injury Thursday, Dulac said the Steelers might again be “ultra-cautious.”
As he notes, Wilson’s latest injury doesn’t appear to be serious. But any reoccurring or lingering soft tissue injury to a 35-year-old quarterback with already declining mobility is notable.
When the injury happened in Latrobe, Wilson was held out of the first week of practices. He didn’t throw his first pass in an 11-on-11 period until the 10th practice and nearly two weeks after camp began. And it wasn’t until the final three practices that Wilson truly felt like a full participant and not limited by any coach or doctor restrictions.
With the season kicking off on Sunday, the Steelers don’t have that kind of time. They can either accelerate his timetable or allow him to rest and recover ahead of a long season though the possibility of another calf injury would loom. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team isn’t sure of Wilson’s status for Sunday.
As Dulac references and as we mentioned early in camp, Pittsburgh has aimed to avoid a Joe Burrow situation. Last year, a calf injury held Burrow out for the summer. The Cincinnati Bengals tried to play him in the regular season, but he looked a shell of himself for the first month of the season. Pittsburgh can ill afford a slow start to its season in a tough AFC North and one of the league’s most difficult schedules.
Friday’s final injury report should provide some clarity on Wilson’s status. If he’s without a game status, he’ll play. But even in that best-case scenario, all eyes will be on his mobility and effectiveness should be take the first offensive snap of the Steelers’ season this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons.
