Russell Wilson might be in the “pole position” at the quarterback position, but Justin Fields feels he’s getting a “good amount of reps” so far this offseason helping him learn the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense while building connections with his new teammates.
Speaking to reporters Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side following the final day of Organized Team Activities, Fields stated that he’s getting to work with all of the receivers and feels that the reps are there for him to gain the experience and build off it, according to video on Twitter via YardBarker’s Aaron Becker.
“I think all the receivers have been rotating in pretty good within all of our reps as quarterbacks. I think we’re getting that connection,” Fields said. “Whether it’s routes on air, plays against the defense, I feel like I’m getting a good amount of reps with everybody on the field to build those connections, for sure.”
QB Justin Fields on building a connection with all of the #Steelers WRs.
“All the receivers have been rotating pretty good … so I feel like I’m getting a good amount of reps with everybody to build that connection.” pic.twitter.com/joxmszQGlG
— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) June 6, 2024
Entering his tenure in Pittsburgh, Fields has to learn not only a new city and a new offense, he has to get familiar with a new coaching staff and new faces on offense, including most importantly from the pass-catching perspective.
He doesn’t have any familiar faces in the receiver or tight end room at this point, so the OTAs are an important time for him to gain those valuable reps, build that chemistry and carry it into training camp.
It might just be football in shorts, but there is still a timing aspect and a familiarity with the way receivers run certain routes that can be quite valuable between quarterback and pass catcher. Right now, that’s what Fields is working on, taking advantage of the OTA reps, giving him a leg up on the offseason process as the calendar moves on to mandatory minicamp next week.
We’ll see if Field is able to get enough reps in minicamp and then early in training camp to build off the foundation he’s set in OTAs, but he’s accomplishing important things first, like establishing relationships with his receivers and tight ends.
