Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson is officially active for the first time this season and for the first time with the Steelers. He’ll be the No. 2 quarterback and immediate backup to Justin Fields for today’s Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Steelers just issued their inactive list and designated QB Kyle Allen as the No. 3/emergency quarterback, the role Wilson held for the first five weeks of the year. That stemmed from a July calf injury he aggravated days before the regular season opener versus the Atlanta Falcons, leaving the team to be careful in bringing him back. Now, Wilson will enter the game should something happen to Fields, as was the situation that played out last week when Allen replaced him for two snaps while Fields was checked and cleared of a concussion.
Wilson fully practiced all week and wasn’t listed with a game status on the Steelers’ final injury report, meaning he is healthy and available to play. Mike Tomlin cited rust as the reason why he served as the No. 2 during practice and is the backup for Sunday’s game.
It opens the door for Wilson to start in Week 7 against the New York Jets. Wilson has remained QB1 on the Steelers’ official depth chart but Tomlin hasn’t said much publicly about the team’s starter beyond the current week. For the first five, he pivoted to Wilson’s lack of health and this week, he deferred to Wilson’s rust as the reason not to make an official declaration. He won’t have the luxury of either points come next week.
Justin Fields has played well overall but the Steelers have lost two-straight games. A third to the Raiders would likely create a quarterback change while a victory could keep Fields in the starting lineup.
Pittsburgh and Las Vegas kickoff at 4:05 PM/EST.
