NFL Rumors: Steelers’ Russell Wilson unlikely to go on IR due to calf injury | News, scores, highlights, stats & rumors

It appears unlikely that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson will play in Week 3, but he is not a candidate to be placed on the injured list.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the “feeling” from people within the Steelers organization is that Wilson will not end up on IR due to his lingering calf injury.

The Steelers have officially listed Wilson as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers after he was limited in all three practices this week.

If Wilson were to be placed on the injured list, he would be out for at least four games, on top of the two games he has already missed.

Wilson missed the Steelers’ 18-10 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on September 8 with a calf injury.

NFL.com’s Kevin Patra provided a timeline of the ailment before Wilson was ruled out.

“The problem surfaced before the first training camp drills. After his calf soreness persisted, Wilson made two preseason appearances and was named the Steelers’ starting quarterback.

“He was a full participant in Wednesday’s training but appeared limited on Thursday, indicating a downward trend. He was listed as a non-participant on Friday and after training Saturday and Sunday morning, he has been ruled out.”

Justin Fields is set to start his third straight game for the Steelers, with Kyle Allen serving as backup. Fields has completed 69.8 percent of his attempts (30 of 43) for 273 yards and added 84 rushing yards to help the team get off to a 2-0 start.

Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Steelers this offseason, who replaced their entire quarterback room this offseason. Wilson won a starting quarterback battle with Fields and was set to start in Week 1. That didn’t happen, though Wilson did travel with the team to Atlanta.

The 35-year-old made nine Pro Bowl appearances and won one Super Bowl during his 10-year stint as the Seattle Seahawks’ starter, throwing for 315 touchdowns (292 passing, 23 rushing). Seattle then traded him to the Denver Broncos in 2022, who gave Wilson a five-year, $245 million contract and dished out a ton of money to acquire him.

Simply put, things didn’t work out in Denver, and Wilson’s time there ended after two years as a starter. The Broncos parted ways with Wilson, who then signed a deal with Pittsburgh.