PITTSBURGH – For the second day in a row, Mr. Unlimited’s attendance at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp was very limited.
Coach Mike Tomlin decided to bench quarterback Russell Wilson again out of caution after the quarterback suffered a calf injury during the team's conditioning test on Wednesday afternoon.
“We did a sled-pushing drill and modified it a little bit,” Wilson said. “…When we pushed the sled four or five times, I felt something. … I feel good. There's no need to panic or worry at all.”
Wilson wore a baseball cap and sneakers at the Steelers' second practice. He did not participate in individual or team drills. He threw light balls with the quarterbacks during warmups and played a football with his teammates between drills.
“The good thing is that I get a lot of mental reps and I throw things in during and after training. [work]Wilson said. Although Wilson didn't have a timetable for his return, he said he could play if today was a game day. By benching Wilson, Tomlin told the quarterback he was causing him “short-term problems.”
“I want to come back today, yesterday,” Wilson said. “But coach says, 'Listen, we have time and we're still here. And I've done a lot of reps in the offseason, so let's not try to just rush it.'
“I hate not practicing. [Tomlin] laughed. He said something like, 'I like that. You have to wait a minute.' And stuff like that. So it was funny. I think the coach and the trainers are just being super careful so that nothing bad gets or happens.”
In Wilson's absence, quarterback Justin Fields continued to play on the first team and showed a strong connection with wide receivers George Pickens and Calvin Austin and tight end Pat Freiermuth. On 7-on-7, Fields threw a long pass to Pickens and the receiver leapt up to catch it, making a spectacular catch over cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson.
“There are some really great plays, and there are plays that he reacts to, and this and that,” Wilson said of Fields. “So that's part of training, and he does a good job. He's a really good competitor. He processes it well, and he's definitely a tremendous young talent.”
Tomlin highlighted backup quarterback Kyle Allen as another beneficiary of Wilson's absence. On the secondary, Allen was 2-for-2 in the team's seven-throw drill, scoring touchdowns with tight end MyCole Pruitt and rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson.
“I was really happy for Kyle Allen today, man, he got more work because of Russ' injury,” Tomlin said. “It was a really great opportunity for him today. I thought he did some nice things.”
