The Steelers' Injury Concerns For Russell Wilson Could Be More Severe Than Just A Calf Issue

The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback room has been the talk of the national media for months. Throughout the 2024 offseason and training camp, there were questions about who would be the starting quarterback, and eventually Russell Wilson was given that role after a tough position battle in camp. Pittsburgh was happy to have Justin Fields serve as the backup while he continued to develop under Wilson, but Fields was thrust into the starting role to kick off the regular season after Wilson re-aggravated his calf injury from the start of training camp.

Wilson has had the label of being in "pole position" to be the starting quarterback ever since the organization acquired both him and Fields. Head Coach Mike Tomlin had clear plans to start Wilson, but he suffered a minor calf injury before training camp even began. This led to Fields seeing nearly all of the reps with the starting unit in Latrobe, even though he still lost the battle for the starting job. Wilson's injury flared up again in the week leading up to the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, and Fields led the team to victory. 

Fields will likely be starting again in Week 2, and insider Mark Kaboly went on 93.7 The Fan on Friday and shared his thoughts on the Wilson injury being a little more serious than the team has let on.

"Here's the issue. It's obviously the calf, but there might be a little concern -- I wouldn't even say concern, but they are keeping an eye on the Achilles there a little bit too. Those things aren't necessarily synonymous though, a calf and an Achilles."

Wilson's injury has only ever been described as "calf tightness." Fans have been able to speculate that it may be a little more serious with the amount of time he missed during training camp and the fact that it has come up again. Veteran quarterbacks have struggled with serious Achilles injuries, most notably Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins. Tomlin and the organization have been taking a precautionary approach with Wilson's injury, and it may be because there is more worry about a deeper issue than just a calf injury.

Steelers' Russell Wilson Admits Injury Was Significant

Wilson and Tomlin have been fairly nonchalant when it comes to discussing the injury. The two have been extremely vague, and haven't really discussed the specifics of it. Fans were led to believe at the beginning of training camp that it was just a minor injury and Wilson would miss a few days of practice, and then he wound up being limited for about three weeks and didn't even play in the team's first preseason game. When Wilson spoke to the media on Thursday, he let it be known that he always knew it was a pretty significant injury.

"You know, I think when it happened in training camp, I was disappointed because I knew it was a pretty strong, pretty good calf injury. So that was disappointing, but you know, we kept our head up, we worked our butts off everyday."

Despite how the injury has lingered, Wilson does feel he is close to being able to play. He was essentially a game-time decision ahead of the Week 1 contest in Atlanta, and was on the field warming up and going through a workout before it was determined that Fields would need to start.

Wilson still dressed during the game and was the emergency quarterback behind Kyle Allen. The same is expected for Pittsburgh's game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Wilson was officially listed as questionable on the injury report, but even if he is healthy, Fields will likely get the start. The team has been preparing as if Fields will start all week long, which Tomlin let the media know during his press conference on Tuesday.

When do you expect Wilson to make his first start for Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!

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