Pittsburgh — In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason opener against the Houston Texans on Friday night, 2021 first-round draft pick Justin Fields received the starting nod. Fields hopes that this path will take him towards redemption and a position as a top-tier NFL starter.
Fields played one quarter before being cut by the Chicago Bears this offseason following three turbulent seasons. He is now expected to backup Russell Wilson. The Steelers finished 20–12, but at this stage of the NFL season, performance and indications of growth are considerably more important than results and standings.
Due in large part to his usage in the majority of first-team snaps during training camp, Fields was given the start. Wilson, a 35-year-old veteran who coach Mike Tomlin has said is in “pole position” to start, injured his calf in late July during conditioning exercises leading up to pre-training camp and did not resume practicing regularly until this week.
That gave Fields the opportunity to practice with the starting lineup and, more importantly, feel more at ease with a different style of NFL quarterbacking.
It is difficult to get enthused about the action from preseason Week 1 and foolish to infer a lot from the players’ August cameos. However, Fields gave Pittsburgh a mostly strong performance.
Through three series, he completed five out of six throws for 67 yards and recorded a passer rating of 113.2. He suffered two sacks, scrambled once for two yards, and both he and center Nate Herbig mishandled two snaps, resulting in turnovers that Pittsburgh recovered from.
The Steelers’ effectiveness was hindered by their two early turnovers, but Fields and the offense showed promise on the third drive, an eight-play, 43-yard march into Texans territory.
“I thought he and we did some good things, but it was just dulled by some of the negativity,” Tomlin said of Fields, referring to the botched snaps and a couple of Steelers penalties. “But from a rhythm passing standpoint, distributing the ball to people, I thought (Fields) and (third-string quarterback) Kyle (Allen) did a nice job.”
When Fields said, “I felt like I was in a good rhythm,” she was virtually echoing Tomlin. We seem to be moving the ball quite effectively. I believe that a few drives were lost due to those mishandled snaps and similar incidents. However, I believe that generally, I felt good and was able to get the ball out quickly.
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It is logical to assume that Fields and the starters could have improved even more if they had had a fourth series, as their third possession was by far their finest. However, it is all a part of the process, and for the moment, Fields had cause for hope over his current circumstances.
There are clear differences between Fields’ life as a Bear and as a Steeler, and things appear to be getting better for the 25-year-old quarterback who is still maturing.
Fields, who was 10-28 as a starter with 40 touchdown passes, 30 interceptions, and an 82.3 passer rating in three seasons with the Bears, was nonetheless criticized. Critics said he had trouble seeing what was happening in front of him on a regular basis. He was sometimes alleged to be slow to identify passing lanes or reluctant to start because he was afraid of making a mistake, which prevented him from taking advantage of chances to extend drives.
The Bears decided to start over with 2024 draft pick Caleb Williams instead of extending Fields’ soon-to-expire rookie contract because they think the generational potential can finally put a stop to their decades of suffering.
For Fields, the Bears’ choice to select Williams in the draft may have saved his career.
Even with Wilson on the team, Fields probably could not have asked for a better career reset in Pittsburgh, barring a soft landing with Andy Reid or a member of the Shanahan coaching family (both of whom already have their franchise quarterbacks).
Fields now has a head coach and offensive coordinator (Arthur Smith), who feel that the best way to help a quarterback with limitations is to support him with a strong rushing attack, keeping defenses off balance while providing more manageable down-and-distance situations. This was evident even in the brief action on Friday night.
“I feel like we all know Arthur is good at game planning to every player on offense’s strengths,” Fields said. “And as long as we’re playing to our strengths and everybody does well and we’re getting them the ball on certain concepts, certain routes, and of course, running the ball is always going to be a big part of who we are; as long as we do that and execute like we know how to execute, I think we will be great.”
Fields is no longer a member of a team that expects him to replace Michael Jordan in the absence of Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, and the triangle offense. Fields has been asked to do little more than run the point in Wilson’s absence while honing his professional game acumen in Pittsburgh thus far. He also has faith that these coaches would know how to best utilize him when it is his turn to start.
Fields has seen much more snaps to begin training camp than he would have while managing the second-team offense thanks to Wilson’s sluggish start. This implies greater hands-on learning. Another opportunity to work with the starters and further his continuous re-education was given by Friday night.
Smith made it apparent that he did not want to put too much pressure on the inexperienced quarterback even after just one quarter. Fields attempted passes that were typically only a few yards off of the line of scrimmage. The strategy is to get the ball in your playmakers’ hands as soon as possible and let them take care of the rest. Fields seems at ease carrying out that strategy. He exuded confidence. He gave off an air of determination.
The first quarter’s most fruitful offensive drive for the Steelers consisted of four run plays, including three consecutive ones, and four throw plays. There were eight run plays and nine pass plays in the whole quarter. The secret to this game is balance.
Tomlin is insistent that Wilson should still start even though he is happy with Fields’ development. There is no hint in the tea leaves that Fields might be able to sway the coaches’ judgment and surpass Wilson to start at quarterback in Week 1. Fields’s strong play has the potential to reduce Wilson’s leash. Tomlin, though, has not faltered.
The Steelers are playing the long game when it comes to Fields.
Like any competitor, he would love to get going, but it would probably be best for him to wait for a while and watch and learn, something he should have been able to do as a rookie. How long the Wilson experiment continues is unknown. Smith may be able to relive some of the magic from his time in Seattle thanks to his offensive strategies. Alternatively, Father Time might tighten his grip on Wilson even more, forcing the Steelers to use Fields later in the season.
Regardless of the duration, four weeks or twelve, Fields will gain from the Steelers’ methodical approach. Now that he is in better hands, he has a far better chance of realizing his potential as a starter or backup.
(Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
