The speculation surrounding Russell Wilson’s return has been one of the big stories of the week throughout the NFL media landscape. The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off back-to-back losses and Justin Fields played probably his worst game of the season on Sunday Night Football just in time for Wilson to return to health with a full practice on Wednesday.
Mike Tomlin said that Wilson would be working with the second-team offense and they would be proceeding with Justin Fields as the starter. He also left the door open for Wilson to potentially suit up as a game-day active. It seems like not even Wilson is sure what his role will be in Las Vegas.
“That’s a big question,” Wilson said Thursday after practice via 93.7 The Fan on X. “For me, I’m preparing my mind to get ready to go and everything else. So that’s kind of my mentality. And help us win, whatever that is.”
Wilson suffered a calf injury on July 24 during the conditioning test the day before training camp practices began. He aggravated the injury on Sept. 5, just a few days before Week 1 of the regular season. That was 43 days between the initial injury and the aggravation. Thirty-five days have passed since then, but with significantly more rest in between. The first time around Wilson was partially practicing and even playing in preseason games.
When asked what he needs to prove to himself and the training staff to be fully ready to go, Wilson pointed to his mobility.
“I think the biggest thing, just to be honest with you guys, is being able to run well,” Wilson said via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko on X.
Wilson’s game has always been predicated on mobility. He has made his name off extending plays, escaping pressure, and being able to pick up yards on the ground when all else fails. That made him extremely difficult to stop earlier in his career. He isn’t going to be that same player at age 35, but he still has plenty of mobility when healthy.
“I feel confident that I’d be ready to play and play at a high level, and I think we’re being really smart too and trying to understand exactly how I feel,” Wilson said in a transcript provided by the team.
Especially with the state of the offensive line right now, Russell Wilson needs to be able to protect himself and trust his calf to have full mobility in and out of the pocket.
Even if Fields starts against the Raiders, that doesn’t mean he will finish the game. If Wilson is active, there is a possibility that Wilson could be inserted at any given time. A couple bad plays, or another slow first half for the offense, and Wilson could be put into the game. But that is only possible if he, and the training staff, trust that his calf is at 100-percent capacity.
