Days before the start of the season, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is dealing with calf tightness that limited him in practice on Thursday.
The issue was one that Wilson had dealt with during training camp and the Steelers said that they “wanted to exercise some precaution,” ESPN reported.
Mike Tomlin told reporters on Thursday that Wilson would be evaluated further.
“We’ll see what tomorrow looks like and kind of go from there,” Tomlin said.
The health questions mean that it could Justin Fields on alert for the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears’ 2021 first-round pick was acquired in March by the Steelers in a trade after three tumultuous seasons in Chicago in which he struggled to live up to the expectations of the Windy City.
Despite the possible questions, Tomlin expressed confidence in Fields.
“I’m extremely comfortable if that is the case, certainly,” Tomlin said when asked about the possibility of Fields starting.
Fields also has the confidence of the receiving core in Pittsburgh.
“I don’t know the specifics of it or what’s going on, but obviously Russ is a great competitor,” Van Jefferson told reporters. “He wants to be out there. If Justin has to step out there, he’s more than prepared to do that.
“But at the end of the day, we’re just going out there and play. Whoever gets out there, the job still has to get done. So, both quarterbacks are capable of doing that on Sunday and we’re just going to roll with whoever’s out there.”
The Steelers are coming off a season in which they made it to the postseason but were knocked out in the Wild Card Round by the Bills.
Wilson had been named the Steelers’ starter in August ahead of the start of the regular season.
