Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson missed Week 1 after aggravating a calf injury suffered earlier this summer in practice last week, but Wilson feels like he’s getting closer to a return to the field. Speaking to reporters today, Wilson said he’s being smart by not rushing back from the injury.
“I feel like I’m getting closer and closer. I’m just trying to be smart. Got to do a lot of work today on the field, and everything else throwing and all that, so just trying to be smart,” Wilson said via 93.7 The Fan on Twitter.
He also said that he’s not paying too much attention to potentially missing Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, the team that released him and is paying most of his salary this season.
“Every game matters, every game counts, every game you want to be able to play in. So I’m trying to get ready to go, rock and roll. It’s a big game for us because it’s the next game,” Wilson said via Chris Adamski of TribLive.
Wilson said he always wants to play but knows that everyone wants to be cautious with the injury.
“Anybody who knows me, you know I always want to go and play, and that’s how I get my mind ready and my body ready for that. At the end of the day, I believe you gotta play dinged up sometimes. I think coach and the trainers just want to be smart too as well. We know it’s early in the season,” Wilson said via Mike DeFabo of The Athletic on Twitter.
Wilson added he wants to be “strategic” with it being early in the season and that he and Mike Tomlin believe in the Steelers and don’t want to rush the injury, per DeFabo.
Wilson’s comments about wanting to play banged up align with him telling coaches he could play last Sunday. Ultimately, the Steelers don’t want to jeopardize Wilson’s health throughout the season, and he knows that it’s important to be cautious with the season being so young.
It doesn’t sound as if Wilson will play this week, and we don’t have any clarity on if he’ll be the starter when healthy, although ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that will be the Steelers’ plan. Facing off against the Broncos likely means a little bit more to Wilson, but he’s not giving any signs that the game matters more to him than any other.
Calf injuries can be tricky for a quarterback, and for Wilson, getting back to full strength will be important before he can play. Playing him while he’s limited with a capable option in Justin Fields wouldn’t be smart, and especially with him aggravating the injury, he and the team will give it time to heal.
“When it happened in training camp, I was disappointed. It was a pretty good calf injury. When I tweaked it again, I knew I had to be smart and not crazy push it,” Wilson said via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Fields looked capable of leading the Steelers and winning games on Sunday, but Wilson offers more accuracy and a better deep ball, which would elevate Pittsburgh’s passing attack. Fields has more running ability than Wilson, which does provide a different dynamic in his favor.
Wilson obviously wants to be out on the field, but he knows the importance of taking it slow and making sure he’s fully healthy to avoid aggravating the injury again. It might take longer than he wants, but in the long run, he and the Steelers will be better off if he returns when he’s fully healthy rather than trying to rush back.
