Pittsburgh Review

With new quarterback Russell Wilson ramping up his practices this week, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed the veteran will start in Saturday night's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium.

Wilson, signed by the Steelers in free agency during the offseason, missed the team's preseason opener last week against the Houston Texans due to a strained calf. A nine-time Pro Bowl player, the 35-year-old Wilson is new to the Steelers but not to the NFL. Tomlin expressed his desire to see his new quarterback play.

"Russ is scheduled to participate if he has no setbacks," Tomlin said Thursday at Acrisure Stadium following a joint practice with the Bills. "It's been a good week. He's been a full participant. He's had a couple of really good days. With each passing day, it is less of an issue, and so we look forward to him participating in this home venue."

Tomlin added that the first team might play around four series but emphasized that this plan could change based on performance. "If they're highly effective and productive and we get good quality work, we might move on from them to get more exposure to other guys," he said.

With Wilson sidelined last week, Justin Fields started against the Texans. Fields was acquired in an offseason trade with the Chicago Bears. The first-team offense failed to score during Fields' three possessions, with two possessions resulting in botched quarterback-center exchanges.

Tomlin aims for improvement this week: "We're looking for more cleanliness," he said. "We didn't play to our liking last time from a penalty standpoint in some instances, particularly pre-snap things and some fundamental things, (center-quarterback) exchanges."

The Steelers held a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium against the Bills on Thursday and will use that experience in Saturday's game. "We had a really productive practice," Tomlin noted. He mentioned that practicing against different defensive structures—Steelers' 3-4 versus Bills' 4-3—was beneficial for both teams.