Russell Wilson is back to practicing at full speed, but it’s still unclear when he will return to actual games.
While Wilson mentioned on Thursday that his calf injury is getting better, he didn’t confirm if he would be ready to back up Justin Fields on Sunday night when the Steelers (3-1) face the Dallas Cowboys (2-2).
“We’re listening to the doctors, listening to coach and just trying to make sure that they’re good and I’m good,” Wilson said.
The 35-year-old first injured his calf at the start of training camp in late July. He aggravated it on September 5, and the Steelers have been careful in bringing him back. He practiced as a limited participant for several weeks. On Thursday, he participated in live drills for the first time in a month.
“I feel strong, you know, I feel confident,” Wilson said. “I love the process that we’ve had in just making sure that I’m really ready to go. And, you know, I feel like I’m right there.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin mentioned earlier this week that they will assess Wilson’s “ability to move and function and protect himself” before deciding when he can play.
A bigger question for Tomlin, which he has not answered in detail, is what will happen when Wilson gets the green light. Fields has performed well while Wilson has been out, leading Pittsburgh to its best start since 2020 and earning praise from both Tomlin and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Fields’ strongest performance this season was last Sunday against Indianapolis, where he directed three touchdown drives in the second half, almost bringing the Steelers back from a 17-point deficit.
“I thought in that second half what was cool to watch as a coach and a play-caller when somebody gets in that kind of flow, he damn near took the game over,” Smith said. “When that happens and you feel it with a player, it doesn’t matter what I called. You felt him rolling.”
Fields ended the game with 367 total yards (312 passing and 55 rushing) and three touchdowns (two rushing and one passing), marking the highest total yardage by a Steelers quarterback in almost six years.
Still, Tomlin has mostly avoided questions about who will be the starter when Wilson is fully healthy. While Tomlin acknowledged that Fields could be named the full-time starter— a role Wilson has held since joining the Steelers in mid-March— he has emphasized that there’s no need to decide since Wilson is not available yet.
Wilson’s return seems to be coming soon, but Fields, whose 98.0 QB rating is significantly higher than his career average of 82.3, insists he doesn’t feel the need to prove anything more to Tomlin. Fields believes he has no real control over the situation, so he isn’t worried about it.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing and whatever decision (Tomlin) makes, he makes,” Fields said. “I can only control what I do on the field. Now I’m just going to go out there and keep doing what I’m doing.”
