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Russell Wilson wants to get on the field before the Pittsburgh Steelers start the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8.
“I’m feeling great,” Wilson said when discussing his calf injury, per Teresa Varley of the Steelers’ official website. “Just to be fully in practice and involved and doing everything. I’ve been involved in doing all the drills and everything for the past seven, eight days, however many days it has been. But to be fully in there with the team drills, everything else, it feels great.”
Wilson was sidelined for the start of training camp and will not play in Friday’s preseason game against the Houston Texans because of the calf setback, but he wants to see some action in the preseason.
“I always want to play,” Wilson said. “Anytime you get the strap on the pads, it’s a blessing.
“Whether it’s preseason or if it’s regular season, obviously which matters a lot more, or in the postseason, which is even more important. Just be out there with your teammates and everything else.”
Wilson is in something of an interesting situation.
While he is a nine-time Pro Bowler with a Super Bowl title on his resume, he is also 35 years old and under contract for just the upcoming season. The Steelers don’t have a long-term commitment to him or the history that he shared with the Seattle Seahawks, so they may not hesitate to move on to another option if necessary.
And that other potential option played well in training camp with the starters when Wilson was out.
Justin Fields is also under contract for just the 2024 campaign, although he is 25 years old and could be a longer-term option for Pittsburgh than Wilson if he proves himself. Along those lines, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Saturday that “Fields definitely has work to do to catch Wilson in the race for the starting job, but the Steelers are open-minded about his ability to do so.”
It could dial up some of the pressure on Wilson, especially if Fields plays well against the Texans.
The veteran may play against the Buffalo Bills (Aug. 17) and Detroit Lions (Aug. 24) later in the preseason as he moves further away from his calf injury. He may need to at least show promising signs if he is going to continue to hold Fields off for the starting job.