We are less than 24 hours until kickoff, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation is still up in the air. Russell Wilson was named the starter last week, but he experienced calf tightness on Thursday that left him questionable for the season opener. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on X, Wilson traveled with the team.
There was a walk-through practice earlier today that was supposed to help determine if he was healthy enough to play. The fact that we haven’t heard anything could be a good sign for now. Obviously, him traveling with the team is another good sign.
Wilson told the media after Friday’s practice that a pre-game evaluation could also determine his availability. It sounds possible that he passed (or at least didn’t fail) the test this morning, and will be a game-time decision on Sunday ahead of the Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
If that is the case, we might not know until 90 minutes before kickoff when the inactive list is required to be released by both teams.
He was also asked during his Friday media availability if his calf injury worsened and he said that he was fortunate that there was no big concern. He just said it felt a little funny on Thursday and he wants to make sure he is healthy for as many games as possible this season. If he were to play at less than 100-percent health, he could risk making the injury worse and missing more time.
If he is unable to go, the Steelers fortunately have Justin Fields, who was the first-team quarterback for much of training camp while Wilson dealt with his calf.
For what it’s worth, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini reported earlier today that Wilson is not expected to play in the game. Ian Rapoport echoed a similar sentiment last night, stating that Wilson would need some kind of magic potion to be ready to go in time for the game.
