Steelers' Wilson sidelined again with calf issue

Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff WriterJul 26, 2024, 01:52 PM ET

Previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Oklahoma University for the Oklahoman.

PITTSBURGH — For the second day in a row, Mr. Unlimited’s participation was very limited at Steelers training camp.

Coach Mike Tomlin opted to sideline quarterback Russell Wilson again out of an abundance of caution following the quarterback’s calf injury during the team’s conditioning test Wednesday afternoon.

“We were doing a sled-push thing and just tweaked it a little bit,” Wilson said. “… It was the fourth, fifth time we did the sled push, I felt a little something. … I feel good. It’s nothing to panic about or to worry about at all.”

Wilson wore a baseball cap and sneakers at the Steelers’ second training camp practice. He didn’t participate in individual or team drills. He did light throwing with the quarterbacks during warmups and tossed around a football with teammates between drills.

“The good thing is I’m getting a lot of the mental reps and throwing stuff on the side and the post practice [work],” Wilson said.

Though Wilson didn’t have a timetable for his return, he said that if this was a game day that he would be able to play. In sitting Wilson, Tomlin told the quarterback he was giving him some “short-term misery.”

“I want to get back today, yesterday,” Wilson said. “But Coach is like, listen, we got time and we’re still, and I got a lot of reps in the offseason so we’re not just trying to rush it.

“I hate not practicing. [Tomlin] was laughing. He’s like, ‘I enjoy this. You got to wait a second’ and all that. So it was funny. I think that Coach and the trainers are being just super careful, just so nothing gets worse or nothing happens.”

In Wilson’s absence, quarterback Justin Fields continued to get first-team work and showed a strong connection with wide receivers George Pickens and Calvin Austin, along with tight end Pat Freiermuth. During 7-on-7 work, Fields uncorked a deep pass to Pickens, and the wide receiver leapt to make a spectacular catch over cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson.

“There’s some really great plays, and there’s plays that he responds back to, and this and that,” Wilson said of Fields. “So that’s the part of practice, and he’s doing a good job. He’s a really good competitor. He processes it well, and he’s a tremendous young talent, for sure.”

Tomlin highlighted backup quarterback Kyle Allen as another beneficiary of Wilson’s absence. Working with the second team, Allen was 2-for-2 in the team’s seven shots drill, connecting with tight end MyCole Pruitt and rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson for touchdowns.

“I was really excited about Kyle Allen today, man, getting elevated work as a consequence of Russ’ injury,” Tomlin said. “Really nice opportunity for him today. I thought he did some nice things.”

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