PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was a full practice participant for the second consecutive day, so it appears that he’ll be active for the first time this year on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. What his role will be is to be determined, however.
“That’s a big question,” Wilson said when asked what if he expects to be the starter or the backup.
“For me, I’m preparing my mind to get ready to go,” Wilson added. “That’s my mentality and help us win, whatever that is. I’m just getting prepared for Friday. “It’s not like I haven’t been out there. I’ve gotten a lot of reps over this time. I have a lot of confidence with our guys and who we are.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Wilson will start by getting reps with the second unit and then see where that goes throughout the week.Tomlin added that Wilson will get reps as not to disrupt Justin Fields’ preparation. He said the “door is ajar” for Wilson to be active on Sunday, but he’ll have to see how he does at practice this week.
“We’ll see where that leads us,” Tomlin said. “First, we’ll see if he’s able to pull it off and get through the session — and if he does, what does the quality of that work look like? His ability to protect himself, etc.”
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Russell Wilson has been dealing with a lingering calf injury since the start of training camp. He re-injured his calf at the Thursday practice prior to the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, and has been inactive for all five games.
Wilson’s mobility could be the one thing that’s holding him back. He looked pretty agile at practice on Thursday, but doing it in a game is a whole different story.
“I think the biggest thing, just to be honest with you guys, is being able to run well,” Wilson said.
“I was able to do a lot more this week. I was excited to get back out there and be a full participant. All the reps and everything else. That was great. It just got better from the first day to today.”
#Steelers QB Russell Wilson running out his fakes at practice this week. That’s a step forward. pic.twitter.com/72LLyXZ7Kv
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) October 10, 2024
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.