And so it begins. The Pittsburgh Steelers held their first training camp practice on Thursday, July 25. Everything seemed to be in order... except for the fact that the team was missing their starting quarterback.
Mike Tomlin gave the injury briefing on Wednesday when players arrived at camp, and he made no mention of QB Russell Wilson. But when the first practice kicked off, Wilson did not take the field.
According to Ian Rapoport, head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that Wilson is dealing with a calf issue that he 'woke up with' and is considered day-to-day.
#Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that QB Russell Wilson is dealing with a calf issue that he woke up with and he’s considered day-to-day. Justin Fields took the first-team reps.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2024
Nobody said getting old was easy. At 35 years old, we all understand that Wilson is going to deal with aches and pains that may not affect younger players the same way. But mysteriously waking up with a calf injury isn't what you want to hear about your quarterback on the first day of Steelers training camp.
Justin Fields poised to take advantage of added reps at Steelers training camp
We don't know the severity of this calf issue. It could be nothing at all or perhaps it's a strain. After watching aging quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins rupture their Achilles last year, I'd imagine that the team will want to ease Wilson onto the practice field if there's a chance of aggravating this injury.
In the meantime, Justin Fields could be the beneficiary. The biggest topic of the Steelers offseason was whether or not Fields would have a chance to compete with Wilson for the starting QB job and whether or not we would see him take the field as the starter at some point in 2024.
Tomlin was very clear in his press conference that nothing has changed and that Wilson is still in 'pole position' of the starting QB gig. Either way, this will be a chance for Fields to earn added reps with the first-team offense and a head start to develop chemistry with his players.
During the first Steelers training camp practice, Fields completed a beautiful deep ball down the sidelines to veteran wide receiver Van Jefferson.
The first four practices of Steelers camp are in shorts and shells. There's no live contact and players aren't fully padded, so it's hard to glean much from this. Regardless, the added opportunities with the starters could give Fields a 'leg' up on Wilson that he didn't have before (pun intended).
When Wilson returns to the practice field, we fully expect him to take the majority of reps with the starters. Still, we can't forget that injuries happen in this league or that Russell Wilson turns 36 years old during the season and is on a veteran minimum contract.
These opportunities will be limited for Justin Fields, but this is the perfect time to show the coaching staff what he's gone.