Fans were eager to begin watching the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback battle between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields but are waiting longer than expected.
Wilson was a non-participant in team drills once again on Friday, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, giving the Steelers' dual-threat, Fields, another day with the first team. Wilson is spending the first two days observing due to a calf injury that coach Mike Tomlin said leaves him day-to-day.
On the bright side, Wilson did see a slight upgrade in his participation, as he took part in team stretches, per Chris Adamski of TribLive.com. He did not do any stretching on Thursday.
Not only is Fields getting an early start, but he’s also capitalizing on it. During Thursday’s practice, he delivered a few perfect deep balls that left the internet buzzing.
Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin shared praise for Wilson Thursday, noting that the veteran signal-caller is already making an impact.
Russell Wilson carrying a football around the field today, tossing it around with a couple guys, including Van Jefferson, between drills pic.twitter.com/7Miulfahxc
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) July 26, 2024
"Obviously, somebody my age, you've seen him in the Super Bowl and has been the quarterback for some legendary teams," Austin told CBS Sports. "It's almost surreal at first. Russ doesn't wanna do anything but to help the team and for our personal growth, too. He's been to the top, won a Super Bowl. He's pushing you to be a better person and player."
Wilson is viewed as the strong favorite to land the job entering training camp, but his absence could allow Fields to close the gap. Even still, Wilson is fully expected to be the starter come Week 1.
