ATLANTA – Justin Fields will start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers as Russell Wilson is out for the opening game against the Atlanta Falcons with a calf injury.

Wilson, who was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday after aggravating his calf injury from training camp, will be the Steelers’ emergency quarterback, meaning he can only play if Fields and Kyle Allen, who will step in as a backup on Sunday, are injured.

Wilson took the field just before 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday and performed a series of throws with two Steelers equipment staff for about 15 minutes. Wilson appeared to move slowly through the warmup, as he made several small dropbacks before firing a pass. He warmed up in each end zone and finished with fades to the corner.

Wilson then returned to the field shortly after 11 a.m. ET and spoke briefly with general manager Omar Khan. Then Wilson began throwing again, this time to quarterback coach Tom Arth. Fields warmed up nearby, throwing the ball with tight end Connor Heyward and wide receiver Calvin Austin III. However, Wilson still moved minimally during warmups while Fields repeated rollouts and dropbacks.

Both Wilson and Fields threw passes to the wide receivers during warmups as they lined up for routes in the air, but each time Fields took the first rep of the drill, followed by Allen and then Wilson.

Fields started 38 games during his three-year tenure with the Chicago Bears before being traded to the Steelers in the offseason for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick. The sixth-round pick will become a fourth if Fields plays more than 50% of the snaps in the 2024 season.