Who will be Mike Tomlin's quarterback come Week 1 against the Falcons?
Mike Tomlin was presented with a quarterback conundrum when their signal callers were signed. They could go with an experienced but often injured Russell Wilson or start Justin Fields despite his previous struggles. The Pittsburgh Steelers made their choice very clear to choose the former. However, it looks like fate may have chosen for them. All of it happened before they faced the Kirk Cousins-led Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network was the bearer of bad news for most Steelers fans. He broke the news that Russell Wilson was dealing with calf tightness which may prompt Kirk Cousins to rule him out against the Falcons. The known NFL Insider details the events that may lead to Mike Tomlin's veteran quarterback getting benched.
“He was limited in practice today and is going to be checked out by doctors. Just considering how unbelievably cautious the Pittsburgh Steelers have been as it pertains to calf issues. I think it's fair to say that we do not know right now if Russell Wilson is going to actually be out there at less than 100%. This does open the door to the possibility that Justin Fields who had such a strong training camp could in fact be their starting quarterback on Sunday,” Rapoport noted.
How have the Steelers been reacting to these injury woes?
It can be said that they were clearly erring on the side of caution when they signed Wilson. In fact, Fields' acquisition may have been a display of foresight from the Steelers. The old signal caller's injury history is not the greatest. Nonetheless, there is still no final decision about who they will field to lead the offense once that Week 1 matchup starts.
“It's not a good sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of the reasons the Steelers were so cautious with the calf status of Russell Wilson was because these things really do tend to linger. Here we are a couple of days from the start of their season. He is the starting quarterback, from the eyes of Mike Tomlin. Now, we are wondering: Is he healthy enough to go?” the insider added.
The Steelers have had a poor showing in the NFL Preseason. In fact, they could not get a single win when they faced the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Texans. This situation with their quarterback will definitely only make things worse given their performance. One can only wish that some sort of miracle hits them before the Falcons game to serve as a panacea amid all these woes.
