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The Pittsburgh Steelers named offseason-addition Russell Wilson their starting quarterback to begin the 2024 season, but he’s still dealing with an injury that’s worth keeping an eye on as we approach Sunday’s showdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Thursday that Wilson is dealing with calf tightness, and will be examined by team doctors, per NFL Media. He was limited in practice. Wilson was not listed on Pittsburgh’s first injury report released Wednesday.
The calf in question is the same calf Wilson had problems with earlier this offseason, per ESPN. The veteran signal-caller missed a chunk of training camp due to a “tight calf,” which gave Justin Fields the opportunity to take snaps as Pittsburgh’s QB1. Wilson did not play in the Steelers’ first preseason matchup against the Houston Texans, but did return to play in the final two exhibition contests.
Wilson signed with the Steelers after the Denver Broncos made the decision to take on an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap following two disappointing seasons. Following what was easily the worst campaign of his NFL career in 2022 with first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett, Wilson did show signs of improvement in 2023 under Sean Payton, but it was not enough for the Broncos to feel comfortable with the direction the franchise was going. Last season, Wilson went 7-8 as the starter, and completed 66.4% of his passes for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions, but averaged his worst yards per attempt ever with 6.9.
It’s worrisome that this is the same calf Wilson had to nurse through training camp. If he were unable to suit up on Sunday, it would be Fields under center.
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-qb-russell-wilson-dealing-with-calf-tightness-ahead-of-week-1-matchup-vs-falcons/
Author : Jordan Dajani
Publish date : 2024-09-05 19:03:56
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