Wilson (calf) did not practice Friday and declined to put a timetable on his return, but said the injury is "nothing too serious," Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports. Wilson said his calf injury, which coach Mike Tomlin described as tightness, was sustained while pushing a sled during conditioning tests. Per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com, Tomlin said Friday's absence wasn't the result of a setback for Wilson, but rather, a result of the Steelers taking a cautious approach "to keep a minor thing from becoming major," and Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the veteran QB could suit up if Pittsburgh had a game to play. Meanwhile, the situation has provided Justin Fields a chance to handle first-team reps and potentially begin building some momentum of his own in a quarterback competition that has thus far seemed strongly tilted in Wilson's favor. It remains to be seen how first-team snaps at the quarterback position will be split once Wilson returns to the field.
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Wilson (calf) did not practice Friday and declined to put a timetable on his return, but said the injury is "nothing too serious," Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports. Wilson said his calf injury, which coach Mike Tomlin described as tightness, was sustained while pushing a sled during conditioning tests. Per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com, Tomlin said Friday's absence wasn't the result of a setback for Wilson, but rather, a result of the Steelers taking a cautious approach "to keep a minor thing from becoming major," and Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the veteran QB could suit up if Pittsburgh had a game to play. Meanwhile, the situation has provided Justin Fields a chance to handle first-team reps and potentially begin building some momentum of his own in a quarterback competition that has thus far seemed strongly tilted in Wilson's favor. It remains to be seen how first-team snaps at the quarterback position will be split once Wilson returns to the field.
Wilson missed Thursday's practice due to calf tightness and is considered day-to-day, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports. Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports that Wilson wanted to practice but was held back by the coaching staff, which gave fellow offseason addition Justin Fields an opportunity to dominate first-team reps. The expectation remains that Wilson will be under center come Week 1, leading a remade offense with a new coordinator (Arthur Smith), two early draft picks on the O-line (OT Troy Fautanu, C Zach Frazier) and open competition for WR spots behind top option George Pickens.
Wilson remains the clear favorite to start Week 1 under center for Pittsburgh and has made a good impression on his new coaching staff throughout OTAs and June minicamp, Chris Ward of SteelersNow.com reports. Wilson has impressed with arm talent and leadership throughout spring activities, per Mark Kaboldy of The Athletic, and he's reportedly dominated first-team reps to this point. Justin Fields could push for more opportunities during training camp, but for the time being, there's been nothing to suggest any shift from coach Mike Tomlin's remark early in the offseason that Wilson is in the "pole position" to start Week 1 under center. Experience and consistency alone could make enough difference for Wilson, a 35-year-old veteran, to win the starting gig over Fields, but he'll face pressure to keep Pittsburgh in the playoff race, given that he's playing on only a one-year contract.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said Wilson is in "pole position" to open the 2024 season as the Steelers' starting quarterback, though Justin Fields will "have the opportunity to compete" with the nine-time Pro Bowler for the No. 1 role, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports. "We've been very transparent about the pecking order, at least to start," Tomlin said Sunday. "I just think that provides clarity for all parties involved. Russell is a veteran, man. He's got a proven process of readiness. He's been in this league a long time. He's just got a lot of experience in terms of what it takes to be the guy over the course of a 12-month calendar, and I just think that that's something that a younger guy like Justin could learn from." Addressing the Steelers' overhauled quarterback room for the first time following the signing of Wilson and trade acquisition of Fields earlier this month, Tomlin's comments about the situation didn't deviate much from prior reports, which suggested that Pittsburgh was viewing Wilson as its top option on the depth chart. The fact that Tomlin said that Fields will get the chance to compete for the starting role is noteworthy, though it likely would take an injury or poor showing in the offseason program and training camp for Wilson to lose the gig. Though Wilson thus should head into OTAs with some security, he's still only under contract for 2024, and his standing on the depth chart could become shakier if Pittsburgh gets off to a poor start to the season and eventually shifts into evaluation mode while a playoff berth falls out of reach.
Wilson is expected to serve as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback in 2024, even after the Steelers acquired Justin Fields from the Bears on Saturday in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports. The Steelers acquired Fields one day after officially inking Wilson to a one-year contract, but the addition of Fields doesn't look as though it'll affect Wilson's standing as the team's projected starting quarterback during the upcoming season. As such, the 25-year-old Fields is slated to serve in a backup role to the 35-year-old Wilson, who is coming off a pair of underwhelming campaigns with Denver. The acquisition of Fields could still influence Pittsburgh's quarterback plans beyond 2024, and at a minimum, the Steelers would have a talented and experienced signal-caller waiting in the wings should Wilson suffer an injury or struggle early on in the season to ignite the team's passing game.
The Steelers traded Kenny Pickett to the Eagles a few hours after Wilson signed his one-year contract with Pittsburgh, ESPN's Brooke Pryor reports. The move leaves Wilson as Pittsburgh's only QB under contract, at least temporarily. Pickett reportedly expressed displeasure with the decision to sign Wilson, likely figuring he'd be a long shot to beat out the 35-year-old for a starting job. Wilson was a strong favorite for the Week 1 start even with Pickett on the team, and none of the available free agents would seem to pose any threat to Wilson's standing atop the depth chart if signed. The only potential hurdles at this point are a trade for Justin Fields or an early draft pick coming in at the position -- and even in those scenarios Wilson would still have a good chance to make the Week 1 start.
The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year contract Friday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports. Wilson was officially released by the Broncos on Wednesday with a post-June 1 designation, paving the way for the 35-year-old to ink a deal with Pittsburgh on Friday. With Mason Rudolph having signed on with the Titans, Wilson and 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett are currently the only two signal-callers on the Steelers' roster. The two are thus in line to compete for the team's starting job in the coming months, though at this stage, Wilson profiles as the favorite to land the assignment, per Mike DeFabo of the Athletic. Meanwhile, in the wake of the departures of Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson, the pass-catching duo of WR George Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth, along with RB Jaylen Warren, are Pittsburgh's top returning pass-catching options.
Wilson plans to sign a one-year contract with the Steelers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. According to Schefter, it will be a "team-friendly" deal, with the Broncos being on the hook for most of his $38 million salary in 2024. Wilson still hasn't even officially been released by Denver, but it sounds like he's already found his new team. The move should become official when the new league year opens Wednesday afternoon. In Pittsburgh, Wilson will link up with new OC Arthur Smith and be the heavy favorite to open the 2024 season as the Steelers' starter over 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett. For fantasy purposes, it's not a great landing spot in Smith's run-centric, methodical offense, but Wilson should be viewed as an upgrade over Pickett. Wilson's insertion does boost the fantasy stocks of George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth.
Wilson is traveling to Pittsburgh on Friday to meet with the Steelers' front office and head coach Mike Tomlin, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Wilson has permission to meet with other teams but can't technically sign a contract until the Broncos release him at the start of the league year (Wednesday). Multiple Pittsburgh beat writers have suggested the Steelers want to give 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett another shot as the starting quarterback, but most of what we've seen from Pickett suggests that even this post-prime version of Wilson would give the team a better chance to win in 2024. An offset in Wilson's Denver contract means he has no incentive to maximize his 2024 pay from a new team, so he'll likely choose his next destination based on some combination of likelihood to start, chances of making a playoff run and post-2024 compensation. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Wilson already had an "exploratory meeting" with the Giants earlier this week.