As was the case last week, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson will be listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report issued later today. Speaking to the reporters following Friday’s practice, Mike Tomlin said Wilson’s status is up in the air against the Denver Broncos.
“Regarding Russell’s availability, I’m going to list him as questionable. Obviously if his availability is questionable, then starting is less so,” he told reporters via The Trib’s Chris Adamski.
All signs point to QB Justin Fields getting his second start. Tomlin added that the focus this week has been on preparing Fields to take on the Broncos and push Pittsburgh to 2-0 on the year.
“We’ll continue in that mindset as we push forward towards game time,” Tomlin said.
It’s the same posture Tomlin has had throughout the week. During his Tuesday press conference, he said the Steelers would proceed as if Fields would be the team’s starting quarterback. That hasn’t changed throughout the week.
Wilson’s chances of starting seem even smaller than last week’s despite being eight days removed from aggravating the calf strain he initially suffered during the team’s training camp conditioning test. Wilson was limited on Wednesday and Thursday. His participation for Friday isn’t yet known but he was likely limited again.
If Wilson is again the emergency third quarterback/inactive, he’ll dress but be behind Fields and veteran Kyle Allen on the team’s depth chart.
Fields played within the scheme to secure victory over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, completing a high rate of his passes and not turning the ball over. After a bumpy start with one botched center exchange and another that nearly went awry, Fields settled down. He effectively used his legs as a runner and capitalized on the few downfield passes he attempted, hitting WR George Pickens for 33- and 40-yard gains.
The storyline of Sunday was supposed to be Russell Wilson making the start against his former team, cut by the Broncos after two seasons. Now, the odds are high he’ll be watching the game from the sidelines.
Pittsburgh will release its official list of inactives 90 minutes before the 4:25 PM/ET kickoff.
We’ll have the Steelers’ full and final injury report later today.
