Steelers' Justin Fields Both Proved Critics Right, And Showed He Can Be A "Bona Fide Starting Quarterback"

The Pittsburgh Steelers claimed they were settled at quarterback, with Russell Wilson being granted "pole position" by Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Then the start of training camp rolled around, and Wilson was suffering from tightness in his calf, and that prevented him from practicing. This gave Justin Fields an opportunity to show off. 

According to most of the analysts at camp, Fields has been displaying some of the patterns of behavior that were concerning when he was with the Chicago Bears, such as inconsistent accuracy. Yet there is a cautionary tale here as well. Steelers fans all recall training camp 2023 and the way many overreacted to the success the offense was having, and no one wants to do that again. However, we also don't want to overreact the opposite way and assume the offense is failing, the players haven't even been in pads yet. 

Recently on an episode of the North Shore Drive podcast, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporters Christopher Carter and Ray Fittipaldo discussed what they saw from Fields during his first few days in the Black and Gold. 

"I thought it was probably up and down for Justin Fields the first four practices," said Fittipaldo. "They're unpadded, but I think for quarterbacks, you do get to see a lot of what they have to do, their reads, their arm strength, their chemistry with the receivers. Until yesterday [Sunday], he really struggled in seven shots."

The Steelers use the seven shots drill to open camp practice each day after warmups. The offense gets seven chances or "shots" from the two-yard line to score. For each attempt, either the offense or the defense wins the rep. Fittipaldo pointed out that the defense was ahead 3-1.  

Fittipaldo said that Fields initially seemed to struggle during seven shots, but then had a better day on Sunday. According to him, Fields was 2/10 during the first three days and then 1/3 on Sunday, but ran one ball in for a touchdown. 

Fields threw an interception to Donte Jackson, who has been having a solid camp, and should have thrown another during the 11-on-11 scrimmage. However, Fittipaldo also felt Fields had some throws that looked good.

"Basically, everything we heard about Justin Fields, I think, has come to fruition," added Fittipaldo. "I think there's a lot of talent there, but I think the coaches really have to work to get him stabilized, get his feet on the ground, to turn him into a bona fide starting quarterback in the NFL."

Carter agrees that getting Fields to be more consistent is one of the Steelers' challenges. He added that it is easy to see why Fields has so many fans; when he throws a deep ball, it is like a perfect rainbow. According to Carter, Fields will throw a beautiful long pass, but then struggle to throw a five-yard pass without it being inaccurate or tipped.  

The Steelers needed to see this on their own, said Carter. It was critical for them to be able to evaluate Fields and then be able to identify what he needs to work on. New Quarterbacks Coach Tom Arth can break down the film with Fields, and then they can see how quickly he works on those areas. They will need to monitor his progression. He likened it to the way the Green Bay Packers developed Jordan Love. They allowed him to develop behind Aaron Rodgers for his first few seasons before awarding him the starting job when Rodgers left for the New York Jets. 

Can Steelers' Arthur Smith Unlock Justin Fields' Potential?

New Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith was very successful during his time with the Tennessee Titans. Running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill contributed a lot to that success. 

Recently, Tannehill spoke about Smith and his time with him. He said that he believes that Smith can help Fields. According to Tannehill, Smith was able to push him in a way that no other coach had ever been able to. He got Tannehill outside of his comfort zone, and the quarterback bought into it, making him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2019.

What did you think about Fields' performance during the first week of training camp? Click to comment below. 

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