Mike Tomlin – Russell Wilson “probably” the Steelers’ No. 2 QB against the Raiders

PITTSBURGH – With a full week of practice under his belt, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is ready to be active for the first time this season, serving as the No. 2 quarterback behind Justin Fields against the Las Vegas Raiders, coach Mike said Tomlin Friday.

“He’ll probably be active as the No. 2 quarterback,” Tomlin said after practice. “Just like I saw out here, but health and rust are two different things. I thought he had a good week demonstrating his health and his ability to protect himself. Now it’s just the process of getting used to the ball again.”

Although he was named the starter after training camp, the 35-year-old Wilson has been inactive in every game this season since aggravating his calf injury on Sept. 5, serving as an emergency third quarterback.

But earlier this week, Tomlin admitted that the situation with Wilson changed after five weeks of limited practice participation.

“As I stand here with Russ today this week, we're in a little bit of a different place than we've been in the last few weeks,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “I just met with him and the training staff in preparation for (Wednesday). Tomorrow will be the first Wednesday on which he is scheduled to be a full participant. We'll see where this takes us first. We'll see if he's up to it. “Obviously he can do it and get through the session and if so, what's the quality of that work?”

On Friday, Tomlin said Wilson actually made it through the entire work week. And for the first time this season, the Steelers officially listed him for a game without an injury report.

“I thought he had a good week,” Tomlin said. “He has now proven his health. It’s just a matter of shaking off the rust.”

When asked about his expectations for Sunday's game, Wilson refrained from providing definitive answers when speaking to local media on Thursday.

“That’s a big question,” Wilson said with a laugh. “I think I'm getting my mind ready to go and everything else. So that’s my mentality and it helps us win and whatever that is.”

And for his part, Wilson, who continued to get reps in 7-on-7 practices and individual workouts during his limited practice time, wasn't worried about rust buildup from missed 11-on-11 practices.

“I got all the reps,” Wilson said. “It’s not like I wasn’t out there. I've been getting a ton of reps throughout and everything else, and I feel really confident about our guys being who we are. You've seen some of the plays the guys are making. “There's just a lot of good things, so I'm confident and I'm not worried about it.”

Not only will Wilson likely be active against the Raiders, but the Steelers could also get a boost in the running game from Jaylen Warren. The running back, who was considered unlikely to play at the start of the week, was removed from the injury report on Saturday. He missed the last two games due to a knee injury.