Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson won’t play in the regular season opener against the Atlanta Falcons due to the calf injury he suffered during Thursday’s practice, leading Justin Fields to start today’s game.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz was the first to break the news.
Wilson reported the injury during Thursday’s session, getting in a limited session where he didn’t work in team drills. While tests showed no severe injury, he remained limited for Friday’s practice and did not appear to work during the individual or team sessions. Speaking to reporters, he remained hopeful he could play, but ultimately, the Steelers decided to play it safe and hold him out.
His status for next week’s game, a return to Denver, is unknown.
It’s the second calf injury he’s suffered over the last six weeks. Wilson first injured his calf pushing a sled as part of the Steelers’ conditioning test. The team held him out of the first two weeks of training camp before allowing him to fully practice for the final few days. He also missed the preseason opener, returning to play in the team’s second and third exhibition games. Now, he’ll have to wait to make his regular-season debut.
Wilson traveled to Atlanta and did a pre-game workout. However, according to the PPG’s Ray Fittipaldo, it was slow-tempo.
Here’s one clip of his workout, which lasted about 12 minutes.
With Wilson out and inactive, veteran Kyle Allen will serve as the Steelers’ No. 2. quarterback. Signed to a one-year deal this offseason, he logged only 38 offensive snaps in 2023 with the Buffalo Bills and failed to throw a pass. His last regular season attempt came in 2022 with the Houston Texans, making two starts and throwing two touchdowns with four interceptions.
Pittsburgh will announce their inactives shortly.
Mike Tomlin will likely be asked about the decision before and after the game.
The Steelers and Falcons kick off at 1 PM/EST.
