After injuring his calf during a conditioning test on July 24, Russell Wilson has made a full return to Steelers training camp. He is trading first-team reps with Justin Fields and will make his starting debut in Pittsburgh during the team's second preseason matchup against the Bills.
The media-fueled "competition" between Wilson and Fields for the Steelers' starting quarterback spot has been one of the main NFL storylines leading up to the regular season. While Wilson's injury may have allowed Fields to gain some ground with the first-team offense, Wilson is still listed as the team's starter on the depth chart.
Nevertheless, it's still to be determined who fits in best with the Steelers' offense in a game-time situation because Wilson has yet to take the field in the black and yellow. That should change soon, however, with an appearance this weekend by the veteran.
Here's everything you need to know about Wilson's injury as the Steelers quarterback returns to practice ahead of their preseason Week 2 matchup against the Bills.
MORE: NFL Preseason injury tracker | RB depth charts
Russell Wilson injury update
Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday that Wilson will "be a participant" in the team's second preseason game, getting the start "if he doesn't have a setback." The former Broncos and Seahawks quarterback has been splitting first-team reps with Fields all week. Tomlin added that the first team is slated to play around four series versus Buffalo this weekend.
Pittsburgh's CBS affiliate KDKA reported that Wilson went through a full practice on Monday, looking as though he was back to full health. At that point, Tomlin said the quarterback would be available to play in the Steelers' second preseason game against the Bills but it was still up in the air who would start.
"We haven’t determined that yet," Tomlin said on Monday when asked who will take the first drive this weekend. "We’re Steelers versus Steelers right now. We’ll get to some of that stuff later in the week."
Following practice on Wednesday—in which he saw a lot of reps with the starting offense—Wilson said to reporters that he feels "ahead of schedule" in terms of returning from his injury and that he's been a full participant in practice for the past several days.
"I've been working every single day. Even the days I was a little bit lighter in the team, I was just getting all the fundamental work," he said. "I obviously over the past two weeks [have] really been building up a lot more reps and the team drills and everything else. That's been great."
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Steelers QB depth chart
Wilson is listed on the Steelers official depth chart as the team's starter, but Tomlin has emphasized there is still an ongoing competition between the 13-year NFL veteran and Fields, mainly because of the time Wilson has missed. Dating back to late March, Tomlin has maintained that Wilson is the leader in the QB race.
| Position | First | Second | Third | Fourth |
| Quarterback | Russell Wilson | Justin Fields | Kyle Allen | John Rhys Plumlee |
MORE PRESEASON: Week 1 rookie QB grades | Week 1 overreactions
Steelers preseason schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent/results | Time (ET) |
| 1 | Aug. 9 | Steelers 12, Texans 20 | — |
| 2 | Aug. 17 | vs. Bills | 7 p.m. |
| 3 | Aug. 24 | at Lions | 1 p.m. |
