ATLANTA — Russell Wilson tested his injured calf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday morning, but he did not receive clearance to start the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
Instead, Justin Fields will start at quarterback for the Steelers for the 1 p.m. opener.
Kyle Allen will serve as the backup to Fields. Wilson is listed as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.
Wilson was on the field two and a half hours before kickoff throwing passes to members of the equipment staff and then defensive back DeShon Elliott. Wilson practiced throwing fades from about 15 yards to each corner of the end zone. He worked at both ends of the field before wrapping up the workout after about 15 minutes.
Wilson returned to the field along with Fields, Allen and the team’s wide receivers for pre-game warmups.
Fields took the first-team rep during the opening two weeks of training camp when Wilson was sidelined by his calf injury. He also worked with the first-team offense two days in practice this week.
Wilson’s debut with the Steelers will be delayed until next week when the Steelers play his former team, the Denver Broncos, on the road. That, of course, depends on how quickly Wilson progresses during the week.
Acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears, Fields will make his 39th career start. He had a 10-28 record in three seasons with the Bears before the Steelers acquired him for a late-round draft pick.
Wilson injured his calf in a conditioning drill held on the eve of the first training camp workout. The injury kept him from practicing with the team for about two weeks, and he started the final two preseason games.
Wilson didn’t have a setback until Thursday when he was limited in practice. He also was limited Friday, with Fields taking the first-team snaps in team portions of practice.
Also inactive for the Steelers were wide receiver Roman Wilson, safety Jalen Elliott, guard Isaac Seumalo and defensive lineman Dean Lowry.
Spencer Anderson will make his first NFL start at left guard in place of Seumalo. The Steelers elevated wide receiver Ben Skowronek from the practice squad to fill Roman Wilson’s spot as the fifth wide receiver.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.