UNITY TWP., Pa. — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson won’t play in the team’s preseason opener on Friday, but he does want to play this preseason, Wilson said after practice on Wednesday.
Head coach Mike Tomlin announced before that practice that Wilson would be one of seven Steelers players held out of club’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium. Justin Fields will get the starting nod at quarterback instead.
Tomlin was quick to point out that his quarterbacks are in competition, and that the results of in-game performance will be more heavily weighted than what has been seen on the practice fields of St. Vincent College.
“I think everything is an audition,” Tomlin said. “Everything that we do is an audition. … Very much is a competition. What happens in a stadium is weighted heavier than what happens in a practice setting, because it’s more game-like.”
Tomlin also said that he’s not concerned by the fact that Wilson missed the first two weeks of training camp with a calf injury. Wilson had his first full practice with the first team on Wednesday.
Still, though Tomlin may not be concerned about those missed reps, if it’s a competition, Wilson wants to compete, and he hopes he’ll be allowed to suit up for at least one of the remaining two preseason games.
“I always want to play,” Wilson said. “Any time you get to strap on the pads, it’s a blessing. … Being in that stadium for the first time, I can’t wait.”
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Whether Tomlin will want Wilson to play in either of the other games — the Steelers host the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 17 and visit the Detroit Lions on Aug. 24 — remains to be seen. But he has long been a believer in the benefit of playing even his most important players in the preseason.
“You know, there’s a component of in-stadium play that you can’t anticipate,” he said. “Somebody always surprises you in a positive way. Somebody always surprises you in a negative way, and that’s just a component of it. I’m always open minded and excited about seeing who they are under those circumstances. And I’m, quite frankly, never surprised when someone runs their way onto this football team with their efforts in preseason.”
Of course, if the Steelers really have a competition at quarterback, and the in-game reps really mean that much, then it should be expected that Wilson will participate at some point this preseason.
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