Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson practiced with the first team this week and is scheduled to start Sunday night against the New York Jets, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Pelissero has indicated that Wilson is a candidate to start, but head coach Mike Tomlin could not officially name him the starter during Tuesday’s media availability.
“Over the past week, we’ve gotten used to his ability to show his health. We’re looking at it this week. We’ll see how it goes,” Tomlin said.
Wilson, 35, has not played for the Steelers this season due to a calf strain, but is currently close to 100% and expected to take over from Justin Fields, who led the team to a 4-2 start. has been done. season.
Fields has filled in solidly in Wilson’s absence, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards and five passing touchdowns to one interception. He also added 231 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
The Steelers have done well enough to win some games this season, but the passing game leaves something to be desired. The Steelers hope Wilson can provide a little more offense to untap that part of their aerial attack.
Worst case scenario, the Steelers can always go back to Fields, who has done a great job in Wilson’s absence.
In 15 games with the Denver Broncos last season, Wilson completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
