Pittsburgh Steelers training camp: Takeaways and standouts from Day 1

Mike Moraitis

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Pittsburgh Steelers training camp: Takeaways and standouts from Day 1 image

The Pittsburgh Steelers took the practice field for the first time in training camp on Thursday and the biggest storyline was no doubt the status of quarterback Russell Wilson.

Wilson showed up to the practice field with a baseball cap and sneakers on and early indications were he was not going to practice. That ended up being the case, and after practice head coach Mike Tomlin provided an update, revealing that Wilson is dealing with tightness in his calf.

Tomlin noted that Wilson still wanted to practice, but the head coach decided to keep his signal-caller out. Tomlin added that Wilson is day-to-day with the calf issue.

"Russ woke up today and his calf was tight," Tomlin said, per Steelers.com. "It was my decision to sit him down today and create a little short-term discomfort for him, not allowing the small problem to become a bigger problem. He could be characterized as day-to-day.

"But on the flip side of that it was an awesome opportunity for Justin (Fields) and the challenge for our offense as a unit to deal with a little adversity at the outset."

As Tomlin noted, Fields got the first-team reps in Wilson's absence. Here's a look at how he did and more based on the observations from beat reporters on the ground.

Steelers training camp takeaways and standouts 

Russell Wilson sits out with injury

Justin Fields shines in Russ' absence

"I was definitely trying to take advantage of each and every rep that I got today," Fields said. "Looking forward to getting better tomorrow.

Donte Jackson stands out

Early offensive line pecking order

Competitors for the slot

Payton Wilson flashes

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.